Just Like Oxygen
by tearinmyarmor
Summary: Everyone has a secret. Students, children, Pro Heroes even. The Symbol of Peace has a few himself. One in particular he's kept secret for eight years. But perhaps it's time for this fiery secret to be made known. - All Might / Toshinori Yagi x OC - ON HIATUS AND IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REWRITTEN
1. Prologue

Snacks. It was the one thing that was asked of Toshinori for the day, snacks to enjoy while she waited for her hair to take the dye she was throwing into it. It was the reason he left their house in the first place, and yet he returned home without his goal. Who was to expect there was a rampant slime villain in the streets, he asks himself as he hangs his keys up by the door. A sigh escapes chapped lips, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. Toshinori had no doubt in his mind that she would understand the circumstances, especially when wide green eyes turn towards the door as it closed. Those same eyes, ones he's been memorizing for years now, light up when she sees him, baggy clothes, dark undereye circles, and all.

 _Shit_ , the curse runs through his mind as Toshinori realizes that, not only is her hair now flaming red, but it's completely dry and even styled. She even managed to dye and put in her hair extensions. Had the day escaped him that quickly? Regardless, the light from her eyes nor her smile falls from her face.

"Sorry," he speaks before she can, taking a few steps to be at the edge of the couch. "There was -"

"Ah," She cuts him off, gesturing with the TV remote in her hand to show him the news that was on. Clips of the Number One Hero, All Might, speaking to the press on the screen as police rounded up the varying pieces of the villain that was defeated by said hero. Blue eyes turn back to the redhead, catching her mischievous grin as she looked up at the man. "Someone was busy."

"Ryo," He breathes her name. 'Ryo' laughs, turning the television off before leaning farther back into the couch, freshly dyed head resting against the top of the couch as green eyes drew pictures on the ceiling.

"You know I'm just messing around. Things happen. I figured something was up when the sun started setting and you weren't back. So, I turned the news on. As much as I would have liked help with my hair," she lifts a stained hand, shrugging as she does. "That guy looked like no joke. Duty calls and all that." Her words implied that she was angry, but Toshinori knew that she wasn't. If anything, she was concerned for him and only finished dying her hair to distract herself - and because it would have left her hair far too damaged if she didn't wash the dye out when she did. Toshinori gives her a small smile, to which Ryo returns.

His feet carry him to the other side of the couch, sitting down beside her, Ryo's body turning to face him as he takes a seat. She places her elbow on the top of the couch, cheek resting against fist as Toshinori got comfortable. The blond looks over at the redhead, the two exchanging a smile. He was happy to be back home, just as he could feel the happiness radiating off of her - happy he was home with her.

"I found my successor," Toshinori finally says after seconds, but what felt like hours. Green eyes go wide and her mouth drops open. His heart beats ever so slightly faster, a ping of fear hitting him at her initial reaction. But it's when her eyes light up and the edges of her lips curl into a grin that he smiles back.

"That's so fantastic, babe!" Ryo adjusts herself on the couch, sliding just the smallest bit closer to him. Toshinori didn't mind; after all these years, he's learned all of her nuances. "Someone did have an eventful day." It was spoken with a smirk and it caused the blond's face to heat up, starting from the base of his neck and crawling across his cheeks. He simply nods, smiling at the redhead. "So since you're in a good mood…"

And the smile falls. After all these years, he's learned that nothing good can come after those words.

"Is now a good time to tell you I got hair dye all over the bathroom floor?"

"You did what?"

"Tell me about your successor." And tell her, he did. Even after eight years of a hidden relationship, he never could stay mad at her. She learned all the varying ways to get Toshinori to change the subject. He told her the entire story, from start to finish of how he met a young boy named Izuku Midoriya. He held her attention the entire time. He didn't miss the smirk she gave him as he finished telling her he was going to help train and prepare the boy for the entrance exam to their alma mater.

"So I'm going to be seeing you even less now," It was stated as a fact, Toshinori knew this, and in response - he couched and hacked, blood spilling past his lips. The redhead laughed, reaching behind her to grab a tissue from the box that sat on the end table. She turns back to the man, passing him the tissue. He takes it, a silent thank you passing between the two as he wipes at his lips. "... You didn't say no though."

The blond coughed again.

* * *

Author's Note: This is something that's been brewing in my head since I got into MHA last year. My boyfriend told me to start writing and here we are. Hopefully you guys enjoy !

Disclaimer: I only own 'Ryo.' All rights to the characters go to the creater, Horikoshi.


	2. Chapter 1

Izuku Midoriya entered his homeroom classroom early. The bell, signalling a solid ten minutes until class started, hadn't chimed yet. He knew he was early, but it didn't matter. Majority of the class, however, was excited he was there.

"Midoriya!" Sero waved, calling him over to his desk. His feet carried him over, a quiet hello escaping him as he did so. "Dude, check it out," The boy handed his phone to the other, a youtube video pulled up. Midoriya read the title and tried to swallow the lump that formed in his throat. The title to the video read, "I Want It - Official Music Video." It wasn't so much the title of the video that had Midoriya visibly shaken, it was the channel that posted the video - Ryoko Iwasaki.

* * *

The sun was setting, Midoriya laid in a bed adjacent to All Might's. He had an IV attached to his arm, the same hand bandaged. All Might's chest was bandaged, his time limit shortened with the fight at the USJ. Staring at his teacher's back, he felt regret - if only he was stronger, if only he could control One For All.

Midoriya's thoughts changed course, him sitting straight up in his hospital bed as a police officer entered the room. Upon hearing it was a close friend of All Might's, he relaxed. The two began to talk about the other students and teachers and their injuries when the door opened again. Naomasa turned just as Midoriya was trying to see around him. He could see out of the corner of his eye that his teacher perked up ever so slightly.

Standing in the doorway was a redhead donned completely in black clothing. A leather jacket, tight black jeans, and heavy combat boots - she looked like she belonged on a stage rather than in a hospital room. Her eyes were wide, puffy even, as they landed on All Might, her body physically relaxing as she saw the hero.

"Toshi,"

"Ryo!"

Her heavy boots scuffed the floor as they took her to the hero's bedside. Her hands, tattooed knuckles Midoriya noticed, reached for All Might's cheeks, cupping them as she brought their foreheads together. All Might's own hands wrapped around her, fingers gripping the leather material as if she could disappear without a trace. They sat holding onto one another for a few seconds, Midoriya noticing that his teacher was oozing happiness with the redhead. Finally, she pulls away from All Might, hands still holding his face as he smiles up at her. She shakes her head at him, her own smile failing to remain hidden.

"You damned fool," The words held no malice. Midoriya could see that and glanced around between the adults nervously.

"Did Present Mic call you?"

"Well, I called Mic since neither you nor Aizawa were picking up. My gut said something wasn't right. One minute we're talking and the next the call dropped." One of her hands, knuckle tattoos and long black acrylic nails - Midoriya was finding the woman quite different with each passing second, ran through the blond's hair.

Midoriya felt awkward, like he was watching a tender moment that he shouldn't see. He shifted and the redhead turned her head to look at him. Caught. He started to stammer, find an excuse for why he was there. Though, clearly she could tell why he was there if she knew All Might, Present Mic, and his homeroom teacher.

"Hey, you okay kid?" She asks, hands falling from All Might's face, his own leaving her jacket. One of his hands still found their way into hers.

"Oh, yes! I'm alright!" Midoriya freezes, a heartbeat passing before she smiles and nods at the boy.

"Good," She turns to look at Naomasa, "That was no fucking joke." Midoriya blinked, she let a curse slip like it was a comma!

"Thankfully the students walked away with scratches. Eraserhead and Thirteen will both be well again after some recovery time."

"Speaking of," She looks back at All Might. "I did check on Aizawa and Mic and everyone. They're stable and doing okay. I figured you would want to know that."

Midoriya knew that All Might was aware of these facts, considering the officer had told them both all of this before she arrived. Instead, All Might chuckled, still staring up at the redhead standing at his bedside.

"You checked on Aizawa and Mic before your own boyfriend?" She quickly flicks him in the middle of his forehead, to which he yelps.

"Eraser was in worse shape than you, shut up!"

Midoriya blinked. Did All Might say boyfriend? That had to have been a mistake… right?

The officer coughed, pulling the two's attention to him. "I hate to cut in between, but I really need to talk with All Might and get any and all information possible."

The redhead shrugged, pulling her hand out of All Might's as she walks over to Naomasa. "Man, I just hate when people actually have to do their jobs." Midoriya could have sworn she was upset about his comment, but no one in the room bat an eye at her words, so Midoriya figured it couldn't have been so bad. Her hand lifts, curled in a ball as she gives the officer a fist bump. "You know where to find me if ya need help."

She starts to head towards the door until All Might calls her name. He looked like he wanted to jump out of the hospital bed, follow her to wherever her final destination would be. She turns around, walking backwards as she talks to him. "I'm gonna go check on Aizawa once more before I head out. I'll see you when you get home,"

"I love you," She's at the doorway, hand reaching behind her to grab onto the handle when All Might speaks. She never broke eye contact with him, keeping her body facing All Might as she smiles at him.

"I love you too, hun," She pulls the door open, still looking at the smiling blond. "I'll see you later." Almost as quickly as she had appeared, she disappeared and Midoriya was left questioning what he just saw.

In the months that he knew All Might, he had never mentioned a significant other or even a family member for that matter. Before he ever met the Symbol of Peace, Midoriya thought he knew so much about the hero. When One For All was passed to him, he thought he had learned about the man, who he really was.

Midoriya never factored a redhead into the equation.

"Um, All Might?" The teacher turns to his student and Midoriya is certain that All Might knew the question already. "Who was that?"

"That was Ryoko," The Pro Hero trails off, seemingly wanting to leave it at that, but Recovery Girl doesn't let him.

"Come now! Tell the boy about your girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?!" Midoriya didn't necessarily mean to blurt that out, he just never thought that All Might would have a girlfriend. Though, he does suppose that even if All Might is a Pro Hero, that doesn't mean he can't have normal relationships like anyone else. It especially shouldn't have come as a shock after hearing All Might call himself Ryoko's boyfriend.

"Yeah, Ryoko is my girlfriend. Very few people know that about us and, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to keep another secret for me." Midoriya stares at his teacher, remembering how happy he looked when Ryoko entered the room. The boy nodded and swore to keep his hero's secret.

* * *

Midoriya hands Sero his phone back, hands shaking ever so slightly as he did. It was hard keeping secrets. He hadn't seen much of Ms Ryoko since she came to their room at the school that day. He saw her for a split second when she unknowingly rescued him from Endeavor's cold gaze at the Sports Festival. The way she walked up to him with a resounding "Endeavor, my guy, what's good?!" will forever be branded in his brain. Outside of that, the redhead was like a ghost.

The class was a buzz, however, as they discussed the video. Apparently, Midoriya learned, it was about their class. Not necessarily Class 1-A, but the first year's Sports Festival. Sero began to play the video, Midoriya and a few others that hadn't seen the video were crowding around the phone screen. The video started off with a black screen, white text typing across as the video played. _No students or faculty from UA High were shown without permission. Permission was granted by the faculty for themselves and by the parents of the students shown._ Then the true music video began. The first shot was of a microphone, the blue sky behind it, the murmuring of a full stadium of people was heard as the video played. After a moment, Ryoko walked into frame, green eyes looking around.

The camera panned around the UA Stadium, showing the audience members from the Sports Festival, the murmuring getting slightly louder as it did. It then panned back to Ryoko, the camera starting at her feet and moving up her body. She was dressed head to toe in All Might's hero costume. Her hair went to her waist, red at her roots, fading to an orange and the ends a bright yellow. She inhaled a breath, closed her eyes, and exhaled. Then the song began.

The video went back and forth between clips of Ryoko singing and dancing as All Might, which many students found hilarious, to clips of the first year students at the Sports Festival. Midoriya saw himself, he wondered when his mom gave Ryoko permission to use clips of him, as well as his fellow classmates - Bakugo, Todoroki, Iida, and even Ochako. The music video spanned the entirety of the Festival. From the obstacle course, to the one verse one battles, and even the award ceremony, the video covered it all. The final moments of the video was All Might giving Bakugo his first place medal, an actual clip from the event, before it cut to Ryoko, singing the final words of the song. It was a close up of her upper body, singing and smiling as she sang the final "I want it more than you ever did" before the screen went black.

"Isn't that so cool?!" Ashido exclaimed, fists being thrust into the air out of excitement. The entire class, in their own groups, were talking about the video. Midoriya did find it incredible, how the Sports Festival was only a few days ago and yet a complete song and video was published. He was recognized on the way to school that morning, as was a lot of his peers, but being shown in a music video like this was something Midoriya had never thought about.

"It's awesome, dude!" Midoriya turned to look over his shoulder at Kirishima. He appeared to be the most excited out of everyone, practically jumping out of his seat as he spoke. "Ryoko's music is some of the coolest there is! It's so cool that she was inspired by us enough to write a song about us!"

"Someone sounds like a fan," Kaminari smirked at his friend.

"I'm such a fan! My parents listened to her when she first hit the music scene so I grew up listening to her. She's awesome!" When Kirishima began to ramble off some of his favorite songs from Ryoko, Jiro's attention was caught.

"Your favorite is _We Don't Have To Dance_?"

"Well, yeah! That was the song that got her popular and caught Present Mic's eye!"

"It was her first single, but _Overweight_ is better."

"I'm afraid I have to disagree," Midoriya glanced over at Tokoyami. He knew Ryoko too? "Her song _We've Got Soul_ is my personal favorite."

" _The Void_ is one of her better songs," Todoroki said from his seat at the back of the class. Even Todoroki knew about Ryoko and her music? He didn't seem like he listened to or even enjoyed the type of music Ryoko put out.

Kirishima blinked as he looked at his classmate, "Dude, _The Void_ is one of her saddest songs…"

"It's still a good song regardless of the emotions."

"Okay but have you heard her music with Present Mic?" Hagakure spoke up, joining the conversation. "Their music is my favorite!"

Most of the class knew of Ryoko's music before her song about the Sports Festival came out.

Midoriya wasn't going to lie, after he had met Ms Ryoko, even if it was just briefly, he did look her up. He had managed to find her website that sent him to varying web pages about any live dates she was doing - which was currently none, her YouTube channel - where she posted her music videos and a plethora of other videos, and an online store where one could purchase her music or merchandise from her. Midoriya also managed to find clips of her on Present Mic's radio show. There was so many, he even managed to find a full length one where she hosted the show instead of Present Mic. Listening back to many of them, Midoriya recognized the clips. It was shocking that he couldn't remember Ms Ryoko, though.

In his search, Midoriya did dive through her YouTube channel. He had actually watched the music video for the song that Kirishima said was his favorite. It had come out almost eleven years ago, and it was much darker and angstier than the song Sero just played for them. _We Don't Have To Dance_ certainly fit Ryoko's aesthetic more than _I Want It_ did.

Among the videos, however, Midoriya found many where Ryoko would do a question and answer session with her fans. She would go through and answer varying questions that people sent her through social media. It was slightly shocking, hearing her talk about how she disapproved of how society viewed heroes. Midoriya recalled how she said that society wanted heroes to risk their lives for popularity and fame and money but kept them on a leash with so many laws about quirks. She disliked how much society would push kids to become heroes, making them believe that was the best and only career path to take. She would also talk about how society made quirkless people feel looked down upon. Midoriya specifically remembered one video where one of her fans asked her if they could do what she did without a quirk. She went on a solid five minute rant about how having a quirk didn't mean anything.

Ryoko even went as far to criticize UA High and their entrance exam. Ryoko claimed it put kids with less flashier quirks down, keeping them out of the hero courses. She even wrote a song about it, _Cut The Cord_ , the music video showing Ryoko as a UA High teacher and pushing the students harder than they should have. Midoriya wasn't going to lie, that song was one of his favorites that he had heard from Ryoko. Despite it's negative and sadden tone, he thoroughly enjoyed the music.

He managed to learn a lot of Ryoko from her videos. Her best friend was Present Mic, meeting him through his radio show when her first single made it to the radio eleven years ago. The two have been inseparable ever since. She was a UA Alum, graduating two years after Present Mic and Midoriya's homeroom teacher did. She never wanted to be a hero or be in the public spotlight for hero work, but she still was in Hero Course A and completed everything, earning her a hero license. She signed with a hero agency when she graduated from UA High, but has kept who she works for a secret.

In her videos, she talked about how her boss was able to work with her in what she wanted. She received a hero license in order to use her quirk when it was needed, wanting to help but not wanting to be in the public eye. She first started as a "glorified secretary" as she called herself, telling her boss that she didn't want the publicity for hero work and wanted to work on her music. Her boss agreed to only call her in extreme emergencies, but over the years, Ryoko has slowly worked her way up to essentially be the hero's sidekick. "My boss would never say it and I don't want to admit to it, but I'm basically his sidekick. We work well together and times are changing so I've been doing more field work recently. I personally like to think of myself as his assistant, but society prefers the technical term of sidekick."

Ryoko also kept her quirk a secret, saying she found ways to work and fight without it. She said it was for safety, having not only the element of surprise on her side, but also keeping what she called a flashy quirk from helping her gain popularity. Midoriya, while he was diving deep through her YouTube channel, found himself thoroughly intrigued by Ryoko. He wondered what her quirk was that she deemed it to be flashy. He was curious about who she worked for that would sign her and save her for extreme calls only, for one, and then would end up working so closely with her that she would be their sidekick. His teacher's girlfriend was shrouded in mystery.

"Uh, guys?" Sero called, causing the class to look at him. He was staring at his phone. He was just playing another of Ryoko's music videos, curious about who the redhead was. His phone was apparently on autoplay, a video already playing. Not many could see it, but everyone could hear it.

"At precisely one minute after midnight on the night of the 27th, All Might, the number one hero, made an elaborate post to his Instagram account. Multiple pictures of himself and the rockstar, Ryoko Iwasaki, were posted, with the last being a video of the singer playing an acoustic guitar while singing to the hero in a bed."

Midoriya began to sweat. All Might made a post last night?

"The pictures of the two clearly showed them in a romantic setting, one of them showing Ryoko wearing nothing but one of All Might's oversized shirts. The pictures appear to be of the couple over a long period of time. The most recent of the pictures being of All Might with his arm around the singer's waist, while holding a boxed lunch, clearly taken during UA High's Sports Festival."

The class was silent, everyone had their sole attention focused on listening to the video that Sero had playing. Midoriya did glance around, noticing that Kirishima pulled his phone out, more than likely checking for the post.

"The caption itself was quite a lengthy one. It read, "To the love of my life. To my number one hero. To my home. It's crazy to think there was ever a life before you, but there will never be a life after you. Hard to believe that we've spent eight years together. It's almost as hard to believe that it's _only_ been eight years. Loving you was one of the best decisions of my life. You have no idea how important you are to me, and I have no idea how to explain it to you. The first song you ever wrote and played for me was "Calling You" and somehow you read my mind and put my emotions and feelings into a song. I can't believe you actually picked me. Happy anniversary, Ryo, my love. Here's to at least eight more anniversaries."

The girls in the class were sighing, saying how sweet the caption was. Mineta a little angry that the hot singer was taken, and by his teacher no less. Midoriya, along with most of the others, were simply baffled. Not only did All Might make a post, but he wrote all of that?

"Many people have commented on the post, fans and fellow heroes alike. Present Mic himself even commented on the post, leaving nothing but a short "ew." Ryoko responded to the comment left by her best friend with a simple middle finger emoji."

Kirishima had found the post on his phone, causing a few classmates to look over his shoulder. Midoriya was guilty. He was curious. What did All Might post?

The first picture was as the video said, the two smiling and holding onto each other at the Sports Festival, All Might showing off a lunch that Ryoko brought him. It made sense to Midoriya, now, why she was there that day. The second was of the singer perched on All Might's shoulders. All Might was mid laugh as Ryoko was clearly yelling something. Then there was an image of All Might lifting Ryoko in the air. She was posing, lying long ways with her tongue out as All Might smiled. The image after that elicited a few laughs. It was All Might, heavily embarrassed as Ryoko was dressed as him. Based on the people in the background, it was Halloween. All Might was in just a t shirt with a pumpkin on it, while Ryoko was flexing, dressed head to toe as All Might, much like the music video they watched moments ago. Kirishima swiped on his phone, bringing up the next image which caused more laughs. Ryoko was still posing as All Might, Present Mic and Midnight fake fawning over her. The next image was of Ryoko, swimming in one of All Might's white shirts. The last picture was of the two hugging, both dressed in formal wear. Ryoko in a black, sequin gown while All Might was in a tuxedo. They were looking at each other, lips pursued at one another, but not actually kissing. With one final swipe, Kirishima came to the end of the post. It was a video of Ryoko, playing an acoustic guitar while she sat on her bed. All Might was clearly the one recording, as Ryoko sang her song _Calling You._

"The singer herself took to Twitter later in the morning, creating a long thread of tweets regarding the post made by the number one hero. "Let's just get this out of the way real quick - Hi my name is Ryoko, I just dropped a new single called _I Want It_ and I'm dating All Might. Today is our eight year anniversary." The rockstar continued her Twitter thread, going so far as to even come out with information regarding which hero agency she works for. "I met All Might at a coffee shop. No, I do not work for his agency, I work for Endeavor's Hero Agency. I've worked for Endeavor for ten years, going on eleven. No, it's not weird that I work for the number two hero and date the number one hero. Literally no one cares." After many of her fans tweeted at her, asking varying other questions, Ryoko took back to Twitter. "I'll answer a lot of questions but I'm still not going to tell you guys my quirk. Put up a good fight against me to figure out my quirk."

"One fan even went so far as to tweet at her, saying "is now the right time to do this ? All Might and UA are being heavily pursued by villains right now." The singer responded to the tweet, with what appears to be lyrics to a new song, called _100 Bad Days_ , that Ryoko and Present Mic are about to release. "100 bad days made 100 good stories. 100 good stories make me interesting at parties. No, I ain't scared of you. No, I ain't scared of you no more." The singer finished up her long tweets with one final tweet, "And with that I'm going to stay offline. Gonna celebrate my anniversary. See ya in a couple when Present Mic and I drop that new song tho."

The video ended with the creator asking the viewers to leave their thoughts and opinions of the new couple in their comment section. Midoriya wordlessly went to his desk and sat down, as did many others. They didn't have anything to say. For once, all of Class 1-A was completely speechless. Midoriya didn't know what he could say. It was a lot of information to take in with just a four minute video.

The students weren't able to think about it much longer, however, as the door to their classroom opened and their newly healed homeroom teacher entered. Once he informed the students about their internships and picking their hero names, it appeared that everyone forgot about the latest gossip that the media was talking about. But no one did, not with the way every media outlet was now covering All Might and his secret girlfriend. For the time being, the students went through with their class, picking out their hero names and where they would be interning. No one mentioned their teacher or the red headed singer, too focused on the next step in becoming heroes.

* * *

Disclaimer: I only own Ryoko Iwasaki. All other characters belong to their respectful creator, Horikoshi. The songs _I Want It_ , _Overweight_ , and _Calling You_ belong to Blue October. _We Don't Have To Dance_ and _The Void_ belong to Andy Black. _We've Got Soul_ belongs to Chapel. _Cut The Cord_ belongs to Shinedown. _100 Bad Days_ belongs to AJR.


	3. Chapter 2

"We're going out," Endeavor says to his youngest son, who stood before him for his internship.

"Where to?" The student asks, as his father's flames whipped around the hero.

The hero smiles, "It's time I show you what it means to be a hero."

The sound of a door opening pulls both men from their conversation. In walked a redhead, someone Todoroki knew well. He had known her most of his life, with the redhead having worked with his father for almost eleven years. She closes the door with her foot, smiling as she walks up to the two men.

"Shotoooooo!" She all but shouts, an arm going to hook around his neck. He quickly ducks, stepping out of the way as one of her fists haphazardly moves towards his face. His forearm comes up to block the hook punch that was coming his way. None of her movements were malicious, it was something they had done for years. She would jokingly start fights with him and, over the years, he learned how to block and defend himself against her strikes. "Glad you're interning with us. Though I didn't expect anything different." The redhead spoke as she threw her punches.

"Are you coming out with us, Ryo?" Ryo smiles and winks at him, hands sliding into the back pockets of her jeans.

"Someone's gotta keep the big man in check."

Endeavor scoffs, pulling the two's eyes to look at the Pro Hero. "Get ready, we're going out." He begins to walk towards the door Ryoko had just come through, Todoroki and Ryoko watching as he did.

"Yeah, okay. Where to?" The two moved to follow the Pro Hero, Ryoko falling in step behind Todoroki.

"If the Hero Killer is following his pattern, we know where he'll show up next. And we'll be there to stop him." Endeavor opened the door, calling into the next room to inform the others that they would be taking a work trip to Hosu. Endeavor walked off, leaving Todoroki and Ryoko. She turns to the younger, smiling at him as she did.

"Go get ready before your dad yells at both of us," She reaches out, fingers brushing through and subsequently messing up Todoroki's hair as she walks out of Endeavor's office, going to get ready herself.

* * *

Todoroki entered the room Ryo was in, sitting down and waiting, eyes watching as Ryoko adjusted her belt. Todoroki always found her "hero outfit" odd. It was nothing more than black jeans with a black tank top tucked into said jeans, and combat boots on her feet, in the same color as everything else. She wore a leather jacket that had an embroidered dragon on the back, done in black and silver. He had asked her once before why that was all she wore. It wasn't flashing, the jeans were comfortable and stretchy enough to not hinder her movements, and nothing on the outfit got in the way of her using her quirk. She also had a watch on her left wrist, one of those smartwatches. He had asked her about that once before too. Ryo had told him it was easier to make calls and check maps, basically do anything in the field, than to have a bulky phone in her hand. It was excellently insured as well, since she did hero work. It made sense, once Todoroki had it explained to him, even if it was just a normal outfit for her.

"I was pretty excited when I heard you'd be coming here for your internship." Ryoko shifted, leaning against the wall as she crossed her arms to look at Todoroki. "Not like I don't see you enough but ya know what I mean."

"Ryo, why did you and All Might announce your relationship when you did?" It was a question that was puzzling Todoroki, just like it was many others. The timing didn't seem quite right. Todoroki grew up knowing Ryoko, the way she worked closely with his father. There were nights she would babysit him and days where he only saw her while she was working with his father. Having known the redhead for years, Todoroki knew she had a boyfriend. Never going into major detail about him, but the student knew of her boyfriend. "With All Might starting as a teacher at UA and the USJ attack by the League of Villains, on top of your views of society and publicity, it seems like a dumb idea to announce your relationship with the Number One Hero now."

Ryo shrugs, "Eight years is a long time to keep a secret, Sho. I was tired of constantly hiding and I've learned better ways to deal with the anxiety that comes with publicity so," She shrugs again, looking away from Todoroki to look at her nails. Todoroki noticed they were done, but shorter than they normally were. Typically, she'd have stiletto shaped nails with intricate gems and designs on them. Today, they were shorter and much more simple. She was working on new music. She always kept her nails short when she was writing music on her guitar.

He also realized her hair extensions were missing. Her dyed red hair was at its normal length, just slightly pass her shoulders. With the extensions, the length took the ends to her waist. She had them in most times, typically when she was shooting music videos or just going about her day, working in the office. But with them missing, Todoroki knew something had to be going on for Ryoko to not have her hair extensions in.

That or she couldn't be bothered to deal with them.

"But even so, with everything going on-?"

"I don't care about the publicity. I don't care what others think about my relationship. It took me a long time to realize that what they have to say doesn't matter. We decided to announce it _because_ of everything that's going on. I want to help All Might and Endeavor more and the only way to ensure that was by coming clean." She pushes herself off of the wall, walking towards Todoroki. "Kinda wish you had seen your dad's face when I told him about All Might and I, let alone his face when I said we were going to make it public." Ryo grins wide. "He was ecstatic."

"I bet he was," Todoroki returns her grin with a small smirk of his own.

Todoroki watched as her grin widened, if that was even possible, "You ready to see some heroes in action?"

"You don't count." A blunt statement. A statement that, if made to the wrong person, would wound their pride and cause them to be enraged. To Ryoko, however, it only made her laugh.

"That's my dude."

* * *

"There's trouble ahead!" Endeavor called, Ryoko and Todoroki following behind the hero as he ran further into Hosu City. Todoroki was running at the back of the group, but when he felt his phone buzz, he stopped and pulled it out of his pocket. Both redheads in front of him stopped, his father turning around and yelling at him to pay attention. The boy quickly turned, not hearing the words, or electing to ignore them, as he ran off.

"Hey! Wait! Where the hell are you going?!"

"An alleyway at 4210 Echo Street. If you finish what you're doing or see extra pros, send them there."

Ryoko watched as the boy ran off, turning to Endeavor. "No time." She tells him, moving to run past him to where they were needed. Endeavor wasted no time in following, pulling up next to her. The two continued to run further into the city. They happened upon an older man fighting what Ryoko could best describe as a monster. Four eyes, extremely long limbs, and it's brain protruding from its skull. It was sick, but Ryoko had no time to dwell on thoughts of its appearance as Endeavor threw flames its way. She came to a stop beside him. She had seen this move many times over the years. A low temperature warning shot, one that still would render his opponents unconscious. Green eyes turned to the couple that was caught in the action. She moved around Endeavor, avoiding his front as the creature twitched and drooled. She pointed the couple in the opposite direction, helping them to leave just as the beast released the power of Endeavor's flames that it had absorbed. The singer can feel the heat against her back, even through her thick jacket and shifted herself out of the way, avoiding being hit.

"Watch it, Todoroki! I think this guy's got multiple quirks!" Ryoko's attention turned back to the creature, watching as it's muscles grew in width before it jumped into the air.

"Oh shit," She muttered, taking a step back, watching as the elder man took down the creature. She knew that if she were to have jumped in, watching as Endeavor was holding flames in his hand, she would have just been in the way. Over the years, Ryoko had learned that sometimes it was best to not jump in.

She walks over, lips downturning as she stared at the creature. The elder was telling Endeavor that they needed to tie the creature up and contact the police, Endeavor told the man his sidekicks would handle it.

"Nasty," She says before looking over at the elder. Something about him seems familiar, and after a moment of staring, it clicks. "Gran Torino?"

"You must be Toshinori's girlfriend." Ryoko brings her hand up, flashing a peace sign as she looks down at him. "Pity that we're only now just meeting."

"And under terrible circumstances, really," Ryoko turns to her boss before he can say anything, knowing what he was thinking, fingers already moving across the screen of her watch. "I'm going to go to the alleyway that Shoto told us."

As the redhead turned to run in the direction of the street Shoto told them about, directions beginning to be given from her watch, Endeavor spoke, "I will send someone your way after I deal with the others."

Ryoko turns around as she runs, grinning at the Pro Hero. "What, you don't trust me?" Before he could retaliate, she turned the corner and ran. _4210 Echo Street_ , she repeated to herself as she glanced down at her watch, reading the next direction to help her get there quickly and efficiently, while simultaneously looking around for the street name. Todoroki mentioned a friend of his when he left. Ryoko's mind was racing, thinking about what it could mean. They were in Hosu City in hopes to find the Hero Killer and put an end to him. Shoto ran off and his friend could be in trouble? Ryoko couldn't think about it as her wrist beeped, she slid to a halt, coming to an alleyway.

Green eyes go wide as she takes in all that she sees. Three students, one Pro Hero. One Hero Killer, tied with rope and unconscious, sitting among them. The students were injured, the hero as well. Hell, everyone was injured. However, the villain was unconscious, appeared to be covered in burns and cuts and bruises. Ryo couldn't tell that well, with how unlit the alleyway was.

The students turned to look over, hearing the sound of boots scuffing against the sidewalk. Panic began to cross the kids faces as they saw the redhead.

" _What did you do_?" She all but shouts, eyes darting between everyone. All three started to give an explanation, or perhaps an excuse, as she started to walk towards the group. "What did you do? What did you do? _What did you do_?!" Ryoko sounded like a broken record, panic evident on her own face as she stood before the kids, looming over them like a disapproving parent.

"Ryo, we-"

"No." It was a firm statement, one that made Todoroki stop mid sentence. She couldn't listen to anyone as her mind kicked into overdrive. The redhead's hands go to rest on her hips, taking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out. She turns around as she does, not able to look at the students as her mind is racing. Everyone remains quiet, until she turns back around. She has to figure the situation out and fast, who knew when Endeavor would appear with the Pros. "Who got here first?"

Iida shifts his weight, "I did, ma'am."

Ryoko pauses, palms pressing together as they go to her lips, her minding instantly realizing why Ingenium's younger brother was there and in Hosu. "Please, _please_ , tell me you did not hunt Stain down because of your brother." Iida's blue eyes look down, not finding the confidence to look Ryoko in the eye and give her the answer. But that was more than enough of an answer for her. Her hands go to her temples, furiously rubbing them. "Do you honestly think this is something he wants? Something he approves of?!" Iida kept his eyes down, both Midoriya and Todoroki avoiding looking at the angry redhead as well.

Her fists clench. She looks over her shoulder to see if any Pro Hero or police officer had showed. No one. She still had time to try and remedy the situation.

"Did you three fight him?" A pause before three heads slowly nod. "Did you three use your quirks?" Nervous glances were exchanged among the three students, Ryoko's lips pursing in anger. "Do _not_ make me repeat myself."

"Yes ma'am…"

She intakes a deep breath, leaning in towards them, fists clenching, knuckles turning white. "That's _illegal_." Her palms were beginning to sweat. She rubs them on the front of her jeans, bent down to be eye level with the students. It was in this moment that Ryoko decided she would never have kids. "That's vigilantism and that's _illegal_! You need a provisional license to do the bare minimum! And you three-" She stops, fingers running through her hair, lacing themselves together as they rest on top of her head. Her body straightened, green eyes looking up towards the sky. "I'm so disappointed in you three."

Words that cut like a knife, Todoroki's mouth dropped open slightly as he looked up at the redhead. Iida and Midoriya saw their classmate's reaction and exchanged saddened looks between them. "You know better than this," Her hands go back to rest on her hips, head shaking as she did.

"Ryo,"

She puts her hand up to stop Todoroki. "Did you take all of his weapons from him?" Todoroki gave a small and quiet yes. " _All_ of them?" Todoroki repeated his answer. "What's his quirk? Did we figure out his quirk?" She was speaking quickly, alluding to the students that time was running out. Others would be joining them soon. The three students quickly explained to her what they had found out while fighting Stain. The redhead cursed once the three finished their explanations. "That makes a lot of sense now,"

Ryoko takes another deep breath, her hand falling as she did so. "Did you use your flames?" Finally, she looks at Todoroki, everyone in the alleyway was able to see the disappointment across her face. Todoroki nods. "Listen to me," Ryoko looks from Todoroki to Iida then Midoriya and even Native, the Pro Hero. "I'm going to take responsibility."

"But Ryo, this story will go public-!"

"Then what do you want me to do, Shoto?" She leans down to be eye to eye with him, hands grasping onto his arms, shaking him ever so slightly. "You three _broke the law_. If you three don't get in trouble, the heroes you're interning with will! Or all of you will!" Ryo glanced behind her, everyone was beginning to hear footsteps. "Fuck, we have to go. Who can walk?" Midoriya was the only one with an injured leg, Native allowing him to climb onto the heroes back, carrying him out of the alleyway. Ryoko took the rope from Todoroki before they exited the alleyway. No one was quite sure what Ryoko had in mind to remedy the situation, but they all put their trust in the redhead.

"What are you doing here, boy?!" The group looked up, seeing Gran Torino across the street, mere seconds before he kicked Midoriya in the face. Midoriya questioned how the hero had found them, Gran Torino stating that Endeavor gave him the address when they finished dealing with a different situation in another part of the city.

Footsteps quickly filled the silence as more heroes ran up to the group. Ryoko quickly took charge, mouth set in a hard line as she told, well really _ordered_ , the others to call both an ambulance and the police. It didn't take long for the other heroes to notice that Ryoko was holding onto the rope that held the tied up Hero Killer.

"Hence why I'm telling you to call the police." All eyes drifted to the redhead as she spoke. She was still angry, the four that came out of the alleyway could see this. "Inform them that Endeavor Hero Agency has captured the Hero Killer."

"I-I'll get the police on the line!" Ryoko nodded to the individual that began to call before glancing over her shoulder, watching as Native helped prop Midoriya up on his feet. She turns more, tightening her grip on the rope connected to Stain, watching as Iida bowed before his friends. He began to apologize, Ryo could see tears dripping down his face. He began to apologize to her, her arms moving to cross over her chest, green eyes never leaving the class 1-A representative.

"Chin up, dude," Is all she gave in response. She began to turn around, but a sharp and loud "GET DOWN!" from Gran Torino, caused her to whip her head to look down the street. One of the creatures, two large wings on its back, flew down towards the group. She turns to toss the rope to another pro, just as the creature's clawed feet grab Midoriya, lifting him in the air as it began to fly off. The force from its wings was keeping everyone grounded, but that wasn't going to stop Ryoko. Her hand released the rope, beginning to push against the winds. Just as she began to move forward, Stain lept in front of her as the creature began to plummet to the ground. Her feet slid to a halt, arm moving out to catch herself, fingers gliding against the sidewalk as she prevented herself from losing balance, watching the Hero Killer stab the beast in the head.

"The word 'hero' has lost all meaning in this society. The world is overrun by fakes and criminals like you who chase petty dreams. You must all be purged." Ryoko's eyes never left Stain's body, the man struggling to stand upright with his injuries. As he stands, so does Ryo, fists clenched, ready for whatever he may do. The redhead made sure to put herself between the others and Stain. She had seen the reports on what he could do, especially now that the students had informed her of his quirk, she was ready. He was unconscious when she got onto the scene, perhaps she could take him down without her quirk. Regardless, she knew she had the upper hand.

Stain turned around when Endeavor entered the scene, his mask falling from his face as he did. Ryoko could feel her boss's flames begin to burn and, as Gran Torino told him to wait, she put her hand out, silently telling him to wait.

The Hero Killer began to walk towards them, the look in his eyes was something Ryoko had never seen in her eleven years doing hero work. She could feel everyone around her stiffen, fear striking their core as the Hero Killer ranted and went on about fake heroes and reclaiming the word 'hero.' She never looked away as the cold, piercing gaze of Stain bore into her, a shiver of fear running up her own spine. Without thinking, she took a step back, but kept her feet planted firm on the ground. She couldn't tear her eyes away.

"Come on! Just try and stop me you _fakes_!"

Even Endeavor took a step back.

"There is only one man I'll let kill me. He is a true hero. All Might is worthy!"

The Hero Killer froze, his knife dropping from his hand. Ryoko could tell his eyes had gone hazy, Endeavor could as well, stating that he believed the Hero Killer was out cold. Ryo could hear the two students behind her fall to the ground, no one else daring to move. Ryoko's heart was pounding, she swallowed the lump in her throat before, without thinking, her feet took her running forward.

A manicured hand gripped onto a wrist, the other pushing the Hero Killer down to the ground. Both hands now held onto his wrists, keeping them locked behind him as Ryoko put a knee on his back, the other leg outstretched to keep her balanced. Red hair fell into her face as her heart continued to hammer in her chest. Green eyes lock onto her boss.

"Call the cops, please,"

* * *

The kids sat in their respective hospital beds, discussing the night before. They were mid conversation when the door slid open, Gran Torino and Manual entering the room. Gran Torino was prepared to yell at Midoriya, eliciting an apology from the boy, but he stopped, stating the three students had a visitor. In walked Ryoko, followed by a man with a dog's head.

"This is Hosu's Chief of Police," Iida and Todoroki stood, Midoriya moving to stand before the Chief told him to stay seated.

"So you're the UA students who brought down the Hero Killer." At the Chief's statement, the kids' eyes turned to Ryoko. Her hands were in her back pockets, hip cocked to the side as she stared off to the side. She looked tired, Todoroki could see that much. Her eyes looked red and irritated, hair unbrushed, dark undereye circles prominent. She had a long night.

"Stain has some serious injuries. Severe burns and several broken bones. Right now, he's in the hospital under strict guard, woof." Midoriya's eyes widened slightly at the Chief's words. "Here's a lesson you should have already learned - when quirks became the norm, the police force sought to maintain the status quo. They decided we wouldn't use quirks as weapons. That's when heroes came in. They could do what we couldn't, if they were licensed of course, woof. It would be impossible for the police to condone the use of deadly quirks. After all, we're here to stop such harm from being done. The only reason pros can use their powers now is because of the strict code of ethics that the early heroes chose to abide by. That's why it's against the law for uncertified people to use their quirks to cause injury. Whether you were up against the Hero Killer or not, none of you have the authority to harm the villain."

Todoroki blinks, mouth opening slightly. This sounded like the formal version of what Ryo was telling them last night. The redhead shifts her weight to the other side, green eyes looking past the students to stare blankly out the window.

"That means the three of you, and your supervisors, Endeavor, Manual, and Gran Torino, should receive harsh punishments for this gross abuse of your powers."

"Now wait a minute-!" Todoroki calls but was quickly stopped by Ryo.

"Ah!" Green eyes stare into the eyes of her boss's son. Todoroki stops, his anger beginning to subside as he looks at Ryoko, shoulders relaxing the more he stared at the angry face of the redhead.

"But, Ryo,"

"You be quiet and listen to what he has to say. You three have no room to speak right now." The students keep their eyes down, knowing what they did was illegal and wrong. Iida knew he shouldn't have hunted down Stain, he was blinded by rage. Midoriya and Todoroki were only trying to help their classmate. But laws were in place for reasons, and they had broken them.

"What I've said is the official stance of the police department. But any punishment would only be necessary if this went public. If it did, you'd probably be applauded by citizens everywhere but there's no way you escape being reprimanded. On the other hand, we could say Endeavor Hero Agency saved the day. Stain's burns would support the story completely and we could pretend you weren't involved, woof. Thankfully there were very few witnesses, and Ms Iwasaki has agreed to take the credit."

Todoroki stepped forward, the three students noticing that Ryoko had her eyes downcast. "Ryo, this is a huge story! The amount of publicity from it,"

"Nothing can be done." Ryoko looks up, finally looking at the three students, her arms moving to cross over her chest. "The witnesses that we have _specifically_ see myself dragging the Hero Killer out of the alleyway. Endeavor and Gran Torino, among other heroes, saw me run to the alleyway first. Endeavor Hero Agency received the call, I finished the fight."

"This could be the last you heard of any punishments." The Chief of Police continued, the attention of the students being pulled back to him. "It would mean no one would know about you, though. You'd receive no acclaim at all. The choice is yours. Personally, I know where I stand." The Chief gives the kids a thumbs up, "I don't want to damage any promising young careers. Not for a mistake like this."

"Either way," Manual said, "We'll need to take responsibility for being negligent as supervisors." Iida walked over to his mentor, bowing before him and apologizing as Manual reprimanded him. Midoriya apologized to the group, followed by Todoroki, the two bowing their heads. Ryoko nodded, knowing they couldn't see her do so. At least they realized their mistakes.

"I know it's not fair," The Chief began, "You won't enjoy any of the fame and praise you probably would have received otherwise. But at least," The man bows before the kids. "Allow me, as the Chief of Police to thank you."

Gran Torino and Manual began to leave, Ryo rocking back on her heels as she was going to stay and talk with the kids. The Chief began to leave as well, but not before turning to her and bowing as well.

"And thank you, Ms Iwasaki, for your help in this matter."

"Please don't do that, there's really no need to." She states, extending her hand when the man stands. "Besides, I was just doing my job." The two shake hands before the Chief exits the room, the door sliding closed behind him. A moment of silence passes among the group before Ryoko walks over, sitting down on Todoroki's hospital bed. Todoroki seats himself beside the redhead, Iida sitting on his own bed, Midoriya turning to give Ryoko his attention. She laced her fingers together, resting her elbows on her knees as she leans forward.

"I'm still angry with you three," She says after a minute. "You all made some _stupid_ decisions last night." She looks around among the students. "And I am, frustrated," her hands open in front of her as she struggled to find the right word. Midoriya could see she didn't want to say she was disappointed, probably noticing how it affected Todoroki. "But as frustrated and angry and as upset as I am," Her fingers laced together again, green eyes looking around the group. "I'm damn proud of what you guys did last night."

Midoriya glances at his friends, a small smile poking through as he looks back at Ryoko.

"You three took on the Hero Killer and, _won_. That's," Red hair shakes as her head moves, her hands finally moving upwards as she finds the word, "Incredible. No Pro Hero faced him last night when he was conscious, and you three _rendered_ him unconscious."

"Ms Ryoko," Green eyes look at Midoriya. "You did."

"I have a death wish." No hesitation as the words were spoken. Almost as quickly, a manicured finger is pointed in the air, head moving to address the group. "No one tell All Might that."

Ryoko runs her hand through her hair, smiling slightly as she looks among the kids again. "What you guys learned last night, will be so much more than whatever your supervisors could have taught you at your internship." The students all smile at her, Ryoko returning their smiles with one of her own. "Now, a lesson from a redhead," The kids shifted forward slightly as Ryoko leaned forward. "Ya _gotta_ make sure you get all of the weapons. Search every possible place for them. Use the back of your hands, kids, over everywhere!"

The group breaks out into laughter as Ryo went on about ensuring that every single last weapon was removed from a villian. While it was no laughing matter last night, when Stain still had a weapon on him and was able to break free from his hold, the group was able to relax and laugh about it today. Ryoko did ask them twice if they ensured all of Stain's weapons, it was only natural to give them a lesson about confiscating weapons.

When the group settled, Todoroki looked over at his family friend. "How are you handling the publicity? Why couldn't you let my father take the credit?"

Ryo shrugs, "That street actually had cameras on it. It caught everything from the moment we walked out of the alleyway to the moment I took down the Hero Killer." She looks at Todoroki. "Trust me, I tried. But everyone who saw it is giving me credit. Endeavor couldn't claim it was his takedown even he tried. Someone would put that video out there." She glances around at the students. "So rather than fight the media on it, we're going to skip all that and just give it to me." Her eyes roll as she speaks.

"Why don't you like publicity?"

"I have to say I'm curious myself," Iida says, causing Ryoko to turn to him. "Not only did you earn your hero license, but you've worked for the Number Two Hero for many years now. Why?"

"That," Ryo points at Iida, "Is a story for another time. As far as publicity," Her eyes to turn, looking towards the ground. "The media is _vicious_ and _relentless_ and can destroy your image in one sentence or with one picture. I make one wrong move as a hero and I can be ruined with one headline." She runs her hand through her hair, beginning to yawn as she speaks. "With my music, I was able to determine how I got publicity. If I didn't want my song on the radio, I didn't let them play it. If I didn't want to do an interview with someone, I didn't have to do it. Present Mic's fans are great and I could see this in the way they interact with him. So that's why Mic got to promote all of my music and give me interviews. Because his fans wouldn't try and tear me down."

The kids nodded at her words. It all made sense, she was able to choose her own path to success. Midoriya could recall from her many videos that she had anxiety that kept her from doing many things. If she was able to decide how much fame she received, it would help her anxiety.

Midoriya found it near genius.

Ryo stands, "Well, kids, I've got to go get some food before everyone makes me give a statement about the Hero Killer." She begins to walk towards the door.

"You have to give a statement?"

She turns around, fingers snapping as she points at Todoroki. "Check it out on TV tomorrow. I'll be the hot redhead in a leather jacket."

* * *

"-afterwards I apprehended the Hero Killer and kept him in custody until the police arrived. Any questions?" Many voices and hands flew up, lights flashing as pictures were being taken. Ryoko gripped the podium she was standing at, knuckles turning white as she did, jaw clenching as she was near blinded from the flashes.

"Was it really the best idea to bring the interns along with you for this call?"

Ryoko turned to look at the reporter, "I can't speak for the other two, but Endeavor and I made sure the student interning with us was well looked after. We brought along multiple others to aid us in the call. If we had no intern, it would have been Endeavor and myself."

"Are you implying that the two of you would have taken the Hero Killer down yourselves?" Green eyes turn to another reporter.

"Endeavor is the Number Two Hero for a reason. He didn't get there by batting his eyelashes. I've worked with the man for over a decade and the two of us have many ways to work together and cooperate on whatever is presented to us."

"Are you aware how your relationship with Endeavor looks to the public, especially after your relationship with All Might has now been made public?"

Her jaw clenches and then unclenches, "What does that have to do with this?"

"Where is All Might?"

"Do you believe Stain's reign would have ended sooner if All Might was on the case?"

"The timing of the two of you stepping forward with your relationship is interesting, care to respond?"

Ryoko rolled her shoulders back, grip tightening on the podium, lips turning downwards. She leans into the many microphones before her, the barrage of questions halting as she does. "And you all wonder why I never do these interviews."

Well, that's what she wanted to say. Instead, she took a deep breath.

"No more questions, thank you," Red hair flows as she turns away from the podium, flashes from cameras going crazy and questions beginning to fly as she walks off. She leaves the room, closing the door behind her and instantly leans against the door. Her head was pounding, heart racing, chest feeling tight. She slides down until her bottom is seated on the floor. Her head falls into her hands as she takes deep breaths. Her palms were sweaty and she rubs them against her jeans. Ryoko had stayed in her hero outfit, knowing the media would have loved that. She's beginning to pick at the skin around her nails when feet stop in front of her. Green eyes look up as they follow up the body, stopping at Endeavor's face. His hand extends to her and she takes it, releasing a held breath as she stands up.

"You're taking the next one," She says, voice smaller, looking at Endeavor. He says nothing, putting a hand on her shoulder. In all the years that the two have known each other, Endeavor can read Ryoko like a book and vice versa. Endeavor could see the puffiness of her eyes, feel her sweaty palms, and could practically hear her racing heart. While extending his hand to help her stand could only be seen as just that, Ryoko knew it was Endeavor making sure she was alright.

She nods, eyes looking down, her own hand going up to his shoulder. She focuses on breathing, counting to ten before looking back at Endeavor. "I'm clocking out boss," Their hands fall, Ryoko turning to walk down the hall and finally head home.

"The report is due in 48 hours." He can hardly finish his sentence as the redhead talks over him, words of _I know the drill_ moving down the hallway to his ears.

* * *

Disclaimer: I only own Ryoko Iwasaki. All other characters belong to their respectful creator, Horikoshi.


	4. Chapter 3

The students were back in their classroom, excitedly talking about their internships. Some were more eventful than others, the students talking to Todoroki, Iida, and Midoriya about what they had heard from the news.

"You were lucky Ms Ryoko showed up and saved you guys," Sato said as some other classmates walked over to the group.

"So cool!" Hagakure said. "Just what I'd expect from the Number Two Hero's sidekick!"

The three students exchanged glances, knowing the truth about what had happened. Todoroki glanced down, avoiding the looks from his classmates. "Yeah, that's right. She saved us." Midoriya nodded, a small smile showing. What Todoroki said was the truth. If she hadn't stepped in when she did, the repercussions of their actions that night would have been devastating for the young heros.

"Did you guys see the news about Ms Ryoko?" Ojiro said, bringing the other's attention to him. "The statement she gave about that night was pretty intense."

"Yeah but the way the reporters treated her was awful!" Kirishima said from the other end of the classroom. "The way they kept asking about All Might and her relationship was so uncool! She was just doing her job and got a major villain off the streets, and then they treat her like that?"

It was true, Midoriya had seen the statement and subsequent interview the day it aired on television. The media certainly wasn't holding anything back regarding their questions. He could only imagine how it made her feel, to be up there in front of all those faces and microphones and cameras, without anyone to stand beside her.

The students took their seats as one of the last bells went off. Their teacher would be joining them shortly. As soon as the students were all seated, the door slid open. They were expecting All Might, for their Foundational Hero Studies course. Instead, in slid Ryoko, literally. Midoriya blinked, Ms Ryoko always seemed to appear in places he least expected her to.

There was a moment of silence as Ryoko, dressed in all black with aviator sunglasses, stared at the students. A few students perking up slightly at her appearance.

"Oops," She mutters before her feet pivot, walking out of the classroom.

"Ryoko!" Kirishima's voice rang throughout the classroom. Her head pokes back into the classroom.

"Yo," No one moved, Kirishima losing his voice when she reappeared. Midoriya remembered how much of a fan Kirishima is of Ryoko, he was probably too starstruck to speak now that she was in the room.

Her lips slowly curl up as her hand moves to remove her sunglasses from her face, positioning them on her head as she walks back into the classroom. She looks around and Midoriya notices that, underneath her leather jacket, is a black graphic tee shirt. More specifically, it was All Might merchandise, an image of the Pro Hero flexing on the front. It had words on it, but from his seat, Midoriya couldn't read it.

"Hey," she starts, as if struck by an idea. "Who's your teacher right now?"

"All Might is," Kaminari answered her and the redhead grinned wide.

"Bitchin'," she says and she rushes to the back of the room, making Todoroki share his seat with her. Seconds later, All Might entered the room, dressed in his Golden Age hero outfit.

"Welcome back, class!" He walks to the front of the classroom, standing at the podium. He keeps his hands on his hips, smiling at his students. He begins to tell the students to get into their hero costumes and prepare to head to Field Gamma.

"Excuse me, sir?" Everyone turned to look at the voice that spoke, seeing Ryoko grinning wide, sharing a seat with Todoroki, hand raised in the air. "What if we don't have our hero costume?"

"Ryo!" All Might calls, his smiling getting wider as the redhead left the seat she was sharing, running up to the front of the classroom. She laughs as she hugs him, his own arms wrapping tightly around her. When they separated, All Might immediately saw her shirt and laughed nervously. "You're wearing that shirt today?"

"What's wrong with it?" She turns, looking down at it, as she grips the edge of the shirt, pulling it out to look at it. Midoriya could now read the words.

 _Training to beat All Might_.

Ryo simply shrugs before she grins and starts to walk out of the room, backwards, never turning away from their teacher. "Just wanted to say hi before you started teaching today. I've gotta go though, I've got a hot smoothie date."

"But All Might is here teaching," Tsu stated, causing Ryoko to stop walking and look at her.

"I never said I was going with him." She grins, All Might watching her.

"Who will you be with?"

"Nezu." Ryoko states before she waves at the class and heads for the door.

"Ryo," All Might calls, the redhead turning around to look at him as she opens the door behind her.

"Business, babe! I'll bring you a smoothie later!" As quickly as she appeared, she was gone. The classroom held an awkward silence before All Might coughed and brought everyone's attentions back to him.

"Yes, well, get ready! We're heading to Field Gamma."

* * *

Ryoko took a sip of her smoothie, sitting with Principal Nezu in the teacher's lounge. Her best friend, Present Mic, was there along with another of her close friends, Aizawa. Nezu had sent her an email about what they were about to talk about, but she wanted to flesh out the details in person before she agreed to anything.

"Thank you for stopping by Ryoko. It's so nice to have you here!"

"Thanks for having me, dude." She takes another sip of her smoothie, before she places it down on the table. "So, I read everything you sent me."

"Amazing! So, what do you think?"

"I'm only accepting on a few conditions." Nezu nodded and Ryoko leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees. Present Mic had seen this stance multiple times before. Coupled with her tone of voice, he knew Ryoko was going to talk business. "First," She turns to Aizawa. "You need to be security."

"What? Why me?" The teacher questioned. Present Mic threw his arm around his friend.

"Come on dog! A Pro Hero with a quirk that can erase other quirks is ideal for security!" Ryoko simply gives the teacher a pointed smirk, motioning at Mic to emphasize what he had to say. Silence passes among the group, Ryoko's smirk never dropping.

"You gonna make me ask again?"

"Whatever," Aizawa responds, arms crossing as Ryoko's smile grows.

The redhead turns back to the Principal. "Second, I'm going to need to call in others for more security. No offense, but your school has been attacked and it's been attacked recently. I want to ensure safety for myself, my band, and the students."

Nezu smiles, arms extending to his side. "Of course! Absolutely! Who would you like to call?"

The younger pulled her phone out, hitting a total of four buttons before she put the end of the phone to her forehead. Everyone in the room could hear the ringing, knowing it was on speaker. After a moment, the call was answered on the other end. A gruff "yeah" came from the phone.

It was Endeavor.

"Hey, boss,"

"What?"

"Want to work a security job?"

"For who?"

"Me." There was a pause on the phone. No one in the teacher's lounge spoke, letting the call play out.

"When?" The Number Two Hero asked after a minute of silence.

Ryoko turned her wrist over to look at her watch. The face light up, showing her the date. "A week from tomorrow." Another long pause came from the opposite line of the phone.

"Fine." The clicking sound of the other line hanging up was heard before Ryoko turned her phone off and placed it on the table, picking up her smoothie. She put the straw in her mouth.

"I'm gonna want to hire others too." Nezu nodded and agreed with her. She takes a sip of her smoothie, putting it down on the table before she goes to speak again, Nezu speaking first.

"Cementoss is willing to help build a stage that will suit your needs. The other faculty is more than happy to assist in security as well."

The redhead exchanges glances with her best friend before she looks back at the Principal.

"... Alright, I'm down. We're going to need to start working today to get everything ready in time."

"Of course! The faculty will be made aware of the situation and should be available to help starting tomorrow after classes." Ryoko nodded, smiling at Present Mic who grinned back at her. "Then we have a deal!"

"No sir." Ryoko states, smiling wide at the Principal. "We have a show." She leans forward and grabs her smoothie off the table, also swiping the other smoothie, one that hadn't been touched by anyone in the room. "Pleasure doing business with you all." She says, looking around before raising her smoothie into the air to cheer them.

* * *

The class ended. The students were beginning to walk out of Field Gamma, chatting about the races they just participated in when a voice broke through their conversations.

"Excuse me, kids!" Midoriya looked from Iida to see Ryoko walking through the group, holding onto a styrofoam cup, her sunglasses back on her face accompanied by a smile. The kids stopped walking, watching as she walked over to All Might.

"Told you I'd bring you one," She says as she hands the cup to the hero. Midoriya swears All Might's already large grin grew as he hugged his girlfriend, thanking her. She turns around, after the two separate, and looks at the class. "Hey, real quick." Every student is now looking at the redhead, her manicured hand moving her sunglasses to rest on her head. "In a week, I'm going to be doing a concert here for you guys." Some students gasped, others began to whisper excitedly. "Well not, _here_ , but like, the stadium. It's a free concert for just the students of UA, but I know you have exams coming up so you don't have to come if you don't want to," She shrugs. "Just wanted to throw it out there for you guys."

"That's so cool!" Kirishima shouted. "Thank you!"

Ryoko throws up two peace signs as she starts to turn back to All Might. "Thank Nezu!"

"Is that an engagement ring?!" Mina's voice rang through the air, causing Ryoko to whip around and All Might to freeze.

"What?" The redhead asks as Mina points at her.

"There's a ring on your finger!"

Ryoko looks at her left hand before she looks back at Mina. "Oh, yeah, this a promise ring though." Instantly, the girls were surrounding Ryoko, asking to see the ring. She holds her left hand out, smiling slightly as the girls oohed and aahed over it. Midoriya noticed that Kirishima was at the edge of the group, onlooking. Todoroki was too, and before he knew it, Midoriya himself was looking at the ring. It was a simple silver band, a knot as it's center. It almost looked like the symbol for infinity.

"That's so pretty!" Ochaco said, many others agreeing with her. Ryoko thanks her.

"When did you get that?" Jiro asks her.

"It was my anniversary gift," Ryoko says, her voice mimicking a stereotypical women. Midoriya could tell it was meant as a joke. Ms Ryoko didn't seem like the sentimental type, or at least, she tried not to be. Even at her joke, Midoriya could see All Might's smile. He was beaming with happiness over the fact that Ryoko could show off the ring he gifted her.

At her answer, many students sighed and continued to adore the ring. Ryoko turned, grabbing All Might's left hand with her left hand, and holding it up to show the students. "All Might has the same ring."

It was true. The same simplistic, silver knot ring was on All Might's ring finger. At the sight of the ring, the entire class erupted. Some were shocked, others ecstatic and happy. Ryoko laughs, looking around at the students.

"Why a promise ring?" Todoroki asks. The redhead gives a genuine smile to the student, one that Midoriya was certain he had never seen from her before, as she turns to look up at her boyfriend.

"Life is too hectic for us to get engaged and start planning a wedding. So I gifted Ryo with a promise ring to tell her that I promised to marry her one day." Midoriya could see the redhead's face start to blush as she looked to her right, eyes avoiding the students.

"Gross, romantic shit." Ryoko says, eyes rolling as the students, mostly the girls, fawned over the couple. Ryoko flails her arms in the air after a moment. "This isn't an interview! Go do shit!" She waved the students off. They began to walk off, waving goodbye to her and All Might.

* * *

Disclaimer: I only own Ryoko Iwasaki. All other characters belong to their respectful creator, Horikoshi.


	5. Chapter 4

Midoriya and his friends walked into the UA Stadium. The weather was perfect for Ms Ryoko's concert tonight and Midoriya was excited to see her perform. Since she mentioned the concert to his class, he had seen Ryoko at UA a lot more. She was mostly seen with Present Mic, talking to varying faculty members and teachers. On more than one occasion, she had crashed their homeroom class to ask Aizawa random questions. Midoriya could tell that she wanted everything to be perfect tonight, working hard the past week to ensure that. He was excited.

Midoriya looked around, taking in just how different the stadium looked from when he was in it for the Sports Festival. On the opposite end of the stadium, where he, Iida, and Todoroki, were walking to - and where an already forming mass of students was, was the stage. There was the main stage area, the instruments and equipment already set up for the show. In the middle of the stage, towards the back, was the drum set, elevated by a large black platform. Behind that was an even larger platform, stairs curving down the left side. On the left side of the drums and stage, set on the other side of the stairs, was a DJ set. Midoriya knew that was for Present Mic. He knew, from Ryoko's YouTube channels and videos, that he would perform with her. He was ecstatic to see his English teacher outside of the classroom and performing with Ryoko.

To the right side of the stage, was a simple microphone, set at the front of the stage. He could only imagine what was supposed to be there. Guitar? Someone else? Midoriya wasn't sure. This was his first concert after all.

From the middle of the stage came a long catwalk. There was a barricade surrounding the entire length of the stage and catwalk, with enough distance for a person to comfortably fit in between. As the three students walked closer to the stage, Midoriya could see All Might standing at the end of the catwalk, dressed in a white tee shirt and cargo pants, talking to their homeroom teacher, who was on the other side of the barricade.

"Oh, hey All Might, hi Mr Aizawa." Midoriya says, bringing the two teacher's attentions to him.

"Young Midoriya!" All Might says, his smile pointed at his students.

"Are you going to be watching from up front tonight, sir?" Iida asked to which All Might laughed.

"Oh no! I'll be in the back watching, letting you kids see Ryo up front!" A small beep sounded from Aizawa's phone, causing All Might and the students to look over.

"Show's gonna start soon." Their homeroom teacher stated, sliding his phone back into his pocket before he walked off. All Might turned to his students, moving aside and gesturing to the barricade his arm was resting on.

"Here is a good spot to see Ryo. She tends to do a lot at the edge of the stage." The students nodded at him, stepping up to the barricade as All Might walked off, letting other students move in closer.

Midoriya looks to his right, seeing Todoroki eyeing the stage. "Have you ever seen Ms Ryoko perform before?"

"Not on stage," He answers, his arms resting on the barricade.

"I was actually talking to my brother about Ms Ryoko last night," Midoriya turns to look up at Iida. He smiles, "Turns out, my brother and her are acquaintances."

"Wow! That's really cool!" Midoriya looks at the stage for a moment before he looks behind him. A lot of students were in the stadium now, what appeared to be a couple of Third Years were behind them. Midoriya looked back to the stage, chatting with his friends as he waited for the show to begin.

After a few minutes, the lights in the stadium went out, causing an eruption of cheers. Seconds later, what sounded like violins began to play.

 _To the old, and to the new_

A video began to play on the back curtains of the stage as the lyrics started. It was dark, eventually a shot of a silhouette was shown. Flames danced across the top of the person's chest. Clearly, it was Ryoko. Not much could be seen on the image, asides from the flames and the outline of her body, arms crossed over her chest, legs together. Honestly, the flames almost reminded Midoriya of Endeavor, who he had actually seen when they entered the stadium.

 _We dedicate this song to you._

There was a pause in the song, a few cheers being yelled as the music died for a moment.

 _Fuck a_ -

The lights on the video turned on and Midoriya could see Ryoko was meant to be dressed as Endeavor. Her legs popped open on the curse word, a smirk on her face as the video played, Ryoko singing along with background dancers behind her, dancing with her.

 _-Silver lining! Fuck a silver lining! Cause only gold is hot enough, hot enough. Fuck a silver lining! Fuck a silver lining! Cause only gold is hot enough, hot enough. One more, one more-!_

Midoriya glanced over at Todoroki. He knew his father was still a soft spot for his classmate, but Todoroki was mouthing along to the words. He smiled and turned back to watch the video.

 _It's just cherries, cherries, everything is cherries on top. No wings of wax or endless mountains, tragedies with penniless fountains. It's just cherries, cherries, it's coming up cherries on top! Sunset shadows through the trophies. I guess it just ain't big enough. Say it one more, one more, one more!_

At the verse of the song, Ryoko was dressed as Best Jeanist. Well, her version of him. A denim jacket, with denim jeans that were rolled up. Light blue sneakers and a denim crop top were paired together. Her bright red hair was slicked back in a high ponytail. The background dancers behind her were also dressed in denim, just like how they were dressed to look like Endeavor.

 _Fuck a silver lining! Fuck a silver lining! Cause only gold is hot enough, hot enough. Fuck a silver lining! Fuck a silver lining! Cause only gold is hot enough, hot enough. It's just cherries, cherries, everything is cherries on top! It's just cherries, cherries, everything is cherries on top! One more, one more-!_

With the next chorus, Ryoko and the background dancers were dressed as Midnight. Definitely not as scandalous as Ms Midnight, but it definitely elicited a lot of cheers. She had the corset and the heels, combined with the garter belt. Ryoko didn't have the skin tight, sheer fabric. She instead had on a long sleeved, black crop top and tight, black shorts. The dancing turned a bit more risque as Ryoko and the other dancers danced to the chorus.

 _We've been falling, falling, it's like we fell to the top! I was born to cut a million. Cut my teeth and made a killing. Now I'm dodging, dodging everything you think that I'm not! Archetype of television was lost in thought but held my vision, hey!_

The camera had panned down after the chorus, but as the verse started to play, it panned up to reveal Ryoko, dressed head to toe as All Might. Seeing the redhead, crouched down and bouncing to the beat, dressed as the Number One Hero, caused the entire crowd to cheer. Midoriya even caught himself cheering for her. Ryoko jumped up, pointing up as she sang "fell to the top." She continued to dance as All Might, a huge smile never leaving her face as she did so.

 _When you gonna say my name? When you gonna say my name? Quick charade, Beyonce, Lemonade. When you gonna say my name? When you gonna say my name? No delay, no halfway, let me hear you say!_

The song slowed, Ryoko and the background dancers slowing their movements as they did. Midoriya noticed, as she shuffled her feet along to the word lemonade, that the yellow shoes All Might wore, was actually heels on Ms Ryoko. He figures that was her own take on All Might's hero costume.

 _One more, one more, one more!_

Ryoko points each time she says the lyric, before the camera angle changes and the music pauses. She runs in, as All Might, jumping up before landing and thrusting her hips as the music gives two beeps, as if to censor the curse word. The image shifts slightly, and next thing everyone knew, they were staring at Ryoko dressed as their English teacher, Present Mic.

 _Silver lining! Fuck a silver lining! Cause only gold is hot enough, hot enough. Fuck a silver lining! Fuck a silver lining! Cause only gold is hot enough, hot enough._

Everyone watched as Ryoko danced while dressed as her best friend. She had the headphones on around her neck, her hair was slicked back, but not up like Mic's always was. She had the leather jacket and leather pants, black boots and black fingerless gloves on. No speaker around her neck, but that made sense to Midoriya.

 _It's just cherries, cherries, everything is cherries on top! It's just cherries, cherries, everything is cherries on top! Silver lining! Fuck a silver lining! Cause only gold is hot enough, hot enough._

Midoriya was almost certain all of Class 1-A cheered as they saw who the final hero Ryoko was dressed as. It was their homeroom teacher. She had a long sleeved, black shirt on with black pants and black heels on. They could tell it was Aizawa by the silver scarf she had wrapped around her neck and the yellow sunglasses on her head. They were an exact replica of Aizawa's. She danced and sang the final high notes of the song as their teacher. At the final notes of the song, she turned around and nodded her head, causing the glasses to fall onto the bridge of her nose. She had one had on her hip, staring at the camera as the video faded to black.

The audience erupted in cheers. There were hardly any lights on stage, but Midoriya could see people walking on from the sides. Everyone came from the left side, a man with a guitar in his hands continued to walk to the empty space on the right side, another ran over and jumped onto the platform the drums were on. In his hands were drumsticks. Then Present Mic walked on stage, causing the students to cheer. Mic raised his hand, waving and smiling at the crowd as he took his spot behind the DJ board. While Mic was dressed in his usual leather outfit, his hair was down, half of it was wrapped in a bun while the rest draped down his back. His speaker was gone as well, the headphones around his neck for a brief second before he put them over his ears. Midoriya couldn't say he had ever seen his teacher like that before.

The back curtain began to play a video, more specifically, the music video of _I Want It_. Ryoko walked into frame, looking around as she did. The lights on the stage came on, chants and cheers erupting as it happened. Midoriya could see Ryoko standing on the large platform over the drums. Well, he couldn't see her as she was lit from behind, making her just a silhouette, her feet apart from each other and a microphone in her hand. But Midoriya knew that was her. Ryoko's silhouette was in front of the curtain, blocking some of the view ever so slightly. The music began to play, Ryoko bringing the microphone to her lips as the video on the curtains began to show the First Years entering the Stadium from the Sports Festival.

 _To all of you in the way,_

The crowd erupted in cheers, Midoriya catching not only himself, but Iida and Todoroki as well, cheering for Ryoko. As she sang, the clips of the Sports Festival were mixed in with camera shots of the actual crowd. Midoriya could see Jiro and Ochako and Tsu, himself cheering louder for his classmates.

 _I push you aside_.

The camera continued to sweep over the audience, Kirishima and Kaminari being shown next. The redhead jumping higher and cheering when he saw himself on the screen.

 _Flames burn down together._

The video showed clips of the Support Courses and General Courses as they entered the Stadium. Then he saw himself and his friends in the crowd. He heard some cheers get louder for them and, before he could think to do anything, the video changed to show clips from the Sports Festival.

 _I refuse to ignite._

The Third Years that were behind Midoriya was shown, the blonde raising his hand and waving as the camera panned across the crowd.

 _I won't walk away._

Ryoko pulled the microphone away from her lips after she sang the lyric. It was pointed at the crowd. The entire crowd could be heard singing the next lyric, as Mic and the guitarist sang the lyric as well, being Ryoko's backup singers.

 _That is not in me._

Midoriya found it incredible, to hear an entire arena of people singing a song together. It was loud, it was beautiful, and it brought a smile to Midoriya's face.

 _I'm here to stay!_

The entire crowd was screaming the last lyric, knowing what was to come next. Midoriya knew the song was about to pick up and he couldn't wait to see what Ryoko had in store. He didn't have to wait long as the lights turned on in a quick flash. Midoriya was deafened for a moment by the cheers of the audience as he looked at the redhead, her arm raised up in the air, microphone to her lips. She was dressed as All Might. Well, at least from the waist up. She had a shirt on that fit her well. It was tight and perfectly mimicked the Number One Hero's Golden Age outfit. She had on light blue jeans, a belt that looked much like All Might's and yellow heeled boots.

 _So I raise my hand in grace! Pray for the ones I wish I could erase. Cause we are who we are and we'll be who we'll be. Live for the moment and the mystery of everybody owns a scar._

The same arm Ryoko had outstretched upwards, moved down, extended to her side as she looked out over the crowd and sang.

 _To show us how we got this far. Cause we are who we are and we'll be who we'll be. Don't ever think you'll take away the fight in me!_

Ryoko pulled the microphone from her lips, her free hand clapping against her other wrist, hands above her head. Mic and the guitarist were singing the multiple _I want it_ 's while the crowd joined in as well. Midoriya and his friends began to clap along with Ms Ryoko. After a few seconds, she stopped clapping, beginning to dance like she did in the music video. It brought a smile to his face and elicited a laugh from Midoriya. As she danced, she turned around, her back to the audience. Midoriya watched as she inched her way closer to the edge of the platform. She took one glance behind her before she turned around. The student watched as the redhead did a backflip over the drum set, landing on her feet and turning around, the microphone at her lips, hand on her hip.

 _Here's to starting over._

The crowd went wild. Midoriya could see Todoroki cheering for Ryoko out of the corner of his eye. A smile crossed her lips at the reaction her backflip created. She began to walk over to the right side of the stage, singing.

 _I heard you're shutting down shop, boy I'm taking you over, yeah! I'm never gonna stop, no I'm never gonna stop!_

Ryoko had bent over, singing at the people at the barricade, her foot tapping along to the beat as she pointed at them. She stood up, dancing across the stage as she headed for the otherside.

 _Here's to the ones who said that you couldn't win. Here's to the crazies getting under your skin. They're always gonna talk,_

Ryoko leaned over, pointing and singing at the other side of the barricade.

 _But I'm never gonna stop!_

She began to walk down the catwalk, a large smile on her face.

 _I won't walk away-_

She drops the microphone, bouncing up and down as Midoriya heard Mic and the guitarist sing the next lyrics. He could see Ryoko singing along to the song, even without the microphone.

 _I want it, crave it, bottle up and save it!_

She brings the microphone back to her lips, her jumping ceasing as she slid forward a few inches.

 _I'm here to stay,_

Ryoko stood in the middle of the catwalk, singing and dancing. There was a smile on her face as she was singing and Midoriya could tell just how comfortable she felt on stage. Ms Ryoko had a completely different personality on stage and had such a high energy. It was only the first song, and Midoriya couldn't stop smiling.

 _So I raise my hand in grace! Pray for the ones I wish I could erase. Cause we are who we are and we'll be who we'll be. Live for the moment and the mystery of everybody owns a scar._

Ryoko was switching from looking and singing to one side of the catwalk to the other. Midoriya could see the crowd singing along to her and back at her. They were jumping and dancing themselves as Ryoko continued to sing for them.

 _To show us how we got this far. Cause we are who we are and we'll be who we'll be. Don't ever think you'll take away the fight in me!_

Ryoko dances to the end of the catwalk as Mic and her guitarist sing the _I want it_ 's, an empty microphone stand waiting for her there. She takes her microphone and quickly slides it in right as the music slows. "Hands up, hands up!" She shouts into the microphone, the audience quickly obliging. Ryoko turned from the front to her right, pumping her hands in the air to get everyone to put their hands up. She turns again, to the other side of the catwalk, repeating the action to get the other side to participate.

She turns back around and faces the microphone, a large smile on her face as she starts to jump, singing again.

 _We raise our hands in grace! Pray for the ones we wish we could erase._

Ryoko's left hand grabs onto the microphone stand, the other falling to her side before she brings it over her head and to the left. She continues to do that, the crowd joining in with her. Midoriya and his friends quickly follow her lead, their arms following hers as she sings.

 _Cause we are who we are and we'll be who we'll be. Live for the moment and the mystery of everybody owns a scar. To show us how we got this far. Cause we are who we are and we'll be who we'll be. Don't ever think you'll take away the fight in me!_

Her arms stop moving as she takes a step back, still gripping the microphone stand. Her eyes are closed as she sings the last verse of the song. The notes to the chorus get higher, everyone cheering every time she hits a high note.

 _We raise our hands in grace! Pray for the ones we wish we could erase. Cause we are who we are and we'll be who we'll be. And live for the moment and the mystery of everybody owns a scar. To show us how we got this far. Cause we are who we are and we'll be who we'll be. Don't ever think you'll take away the fight in me! I want it!_

Ryoko steps forward, letting the microphone stand rest upwards again as she lets go of it. She's not singing into the microphone stand as she mouths the last words to the song. Mic and the guitarist are singing, the crowd joining them as Ryoko's hands move through the air, as if conducting them on singing.

 _I want it more than you ever did._

Her arms extend outwards, her smile growing as she repeats the action she did at the end of the music video. The lights go out for a moment, the crowd erupting in applause and cheers. Midoriya can see Ryoko, gripping the microphone again, holding it out to the side, her hip cocked out. When the lights come on, the redhead smirks at the crowd, the music beginning to play as she shakes her hips to the beat. She does this for a few seconds, looking out to her left at the crowd and sticking her tongue out before she puts the microphone back upright, lips moving closer to sing.

 _We walk out the cinema, about to go our separate ways and I, I almost waved you back when you let your hair fall in your face. And I often wonder why the things that I want are so hard to find but, I often fail to see the things I need are right here by my side._

As she sings, Ryoko is dancing at the microphone stand, her own hand moving up to rustle her bangs when she sings about hair. Instantly, as Midoriya is sure everyone else can tell, he knew the song was about All Might. Ryoko was smiling and enjoying the song, pantomiming along as she sang.

 _Something in the air is giving me bad ideas. Something in the air is giving me dangerous thoughts, like_

Her hand moves back to her head, a smirk on her face as her other hand grips the microphone. She moves back, the microphone stand moving with her.

 _Why don't you stay at mine tonight?_

Her hips move in a swivel pattern as she slowly moves backwards. The microphone drops from her lips as Mic and the guitarist sing the same lyric again. She's mouthing the words, her hips never stop moving. She removes the microphone from the stand, letting the stand move back to be upright as she sings, continuing to move her hips.

 _Why don't you stay with me and be my sidekick, sidekick? Do you, do you, do you wanna be my sidekick, sidekick?_

Ryoko turns, beginning to walk and dance down the catwalk as she moves into the next verse. Midoriya found the song thoroughly enjoyable. He laughed at the thought of Ryoko asking All Might to be her sidekick. It was a hilarious image, even more so when he realized his teacher would fully agree to it.

 _Keys left hanging in your door. A trail of shows and winter coats and we're kissing on the kitchen floor. Our friendship up against the ropes!_

She's back at the main stage, dancing and making an exaggerated shocked face as she sings about their friendship. Midoriya had to wonder if the song was based off of true events.

 _And don't you wonder why the things that you want are so hard to find? Well it just occurred to me the one that I need could be right here by my side!_

Ryoko moved to her guitarist, her face turning to look at him as he paused, holding his guitar up and grinning at the audience. The crowd knew she wasn't singing about her guitarist, rather it was the hero that she was dressed as.

 _Something in the air is giving me bad ideas, something in the air is giving me wicked thoughts and I,_

She dances across the stage, fanning herself as she sings. It made Midoriya laugh, watching as she exaggerated her movements, crossing the stage to be in front of Present Mic's setup.

 _Why don't you stay at mine tonight?_

She repeats the same dance movement, swiveling her hips as she sings facing Mic. She runs a hand through her hair as Mic and the guitarist sing the line back at her.

 _Why don't you stay with me and be my sidekick, sidekick?_

Ryoko keeps dancing, moving to the left side of the stage, jumping up on a large black platform that Midoriya hadn't noticed when he first walked in.

 _Do you, do you, do you wanna be my sidekick, sidekick? Do you, do you want to be my sidekick, sidekick? Do you, do you, do you wanna be my sidekick, sidekick? Do ya, do ya want to be my -?_

The redhead begins to dance as the drummer and guitarist begin to play harder. Midoriya can see, even from the spot he was at compared to where Ms Ryoko was, she had a smile on her face. The music pauses and Ryoko stands upright, turning her head to the side, bringing the microphone to her lips before letting out a "ow!"

She jumps down from the platform, still dancing around the stage as everyone plays. Midoriya caught himself dancing along to the song, just as many others were as well.

 _Something in the air is giving me bad ideas. Something in the air is telling me you could be my sidekick, sidekick. Do you, do you, do you wanna be my sidekick, sidekick? Do you, do you want to be my sidekick, sidekick?_

The music slows as she begins moving her hips in the same way that she has been. It begins to pick up, the more she sings, until eventually Ryoko is jumping up and down.

 _If so, come on let's go!_

The microphone falls from her lips as she and the others on stage continue to dance. Eventually, the song ends with one final drum note, the lights turning off. Cheers erupt and as they die down, everyone can hear Ryoko shout their school's name. This caused more cheers and applause. All that could be heard was a laugh from Ryoko, Midoriya being able to faintly make out her body, moving to jump onto the black platform on the right side of the stage. She crouches down as the lights come back on. The music begins to play, this one heavier than the other songs she had done. She flips her microphone, catching it as she looks to her right.

 _Look out, they're closing in on you now. Wake up, or you'll wake up six feet down. Nobody's got your back in this town._

The singer stands, microphone at her side as she makes a fist with her other hand, waving it in the air, her guitarist and Mic singing "knock them in the teeth now." Ryoko points to her own teeth, when the lyric mentions the word. She hops off the platform, running to the other and jumping on it to sing before the next lyric starts.

 _Out here there's no negotiation. No room to start a conversation. Before you get a taste it's taken._

Her microphone drops again as her hands cross in front of her, as Mic and her guitarist sang "never let your guard down!" Her hands move up, bent at the elbow as she acts like she's pulling something down, when they sing about one's guard.

 _Get back, put your hands up, kinda messed up, but it's tough luck, and I'm sorry, but I don't feel bad for you. Cause I know if, you could switch this you'd be dishin' out the same shit, sayin' sorry, but I don't feel bad._

She jumps off of the platform when there was a pause in the music, landing at center stage as she continues to sing the chorus. Midoriya was slightly surprised she had picked this song, especially since she was dressed as All Might. He could understand the first two songs, but he was curious as to her reason behind this one. He knew she had a reason.

 _Now I know there's no one I can trust. I used to think there was. Tell me that I'm cut throat._

Ryoko's hair goes flying as she headbangs, herself, Mic, and the guitarist all shouting a loud "hey!"

 _I think you got your eyes closed. Feel the fear, and swallow back the tears. Let weakness disappear. There's nobody but me here._

The redhead pumps the microphone in the air again, another resounding "hey!" echoing across the stadium.

 _The killer in the mirror!_

Ryoko continues to dance as the others sing the title of the song. She begins to move down the catwalk, a deep, evil laughter coming through the speakers, Ryoko flipping her microphone again, pretending she was laughing along with it.

 _Where did all the good people go? They hide behind the bars on windows._

She stops walking, barely on the catwalk as she takes her finger, drawing a plus sign in the air as she sings about the windows.

 _In hopes they can forget we're close._

The guitarist and Mic begin to sing, "tryna get some of what they've got," as Ryoko's shoulders move in circles, moving down the catwalk until she's at the halfway point.

 _Cause I used to believe in justice!_

There it was. Midoriya watched as Ryoko stood, legs apart, the arm without her microphone extending outwards, as if she was holding something. He knew that was meant to represent the justice she was singing about. Her stance reminded him of All Might.

 _A place where there was better judgment. But now, I'm feeling so disgusted, by the-_

Ryoko's mic fell to her side again, a finger pointed in the air as she sang with her background singers as they sang "have its and the have nots!"

 _Get back, put your hands up, kinda messed up, but it's tough luck, and I'm sorry, but I don't feel bad for you. Cause I know if, you could switch this you'd be dishin' out the same shit, sayin' sorry, but I don't feel bad._

Ryoko shrugs before she crouches down, singing closer to the audience as she works her way down to the end of the catwalk. The people at the edge of the barricade were singing the chorus loudly with Ryoko.

 _Now I know there's no one I can trust. I used to think there was. Tell me that I'm cut throat. I think you got your eyes closed. Feel the fear, and swallow back the tears. Let weakness disappear. There's nobody but me here. The killer in the mirror!_

Ryoko stands up, microphone dropping as she looks at Todoroki, Midoriya, and Iida. Midoriya hardly has time to think when he hears Ryoko say, "I'm coming in!" It only registers in his mind when her foot is on the barricade in front of him and Todoroki is reaching out to grab her hand. Iida's hands move to catch Ryoko's other foot. Midoriya can hardly hear Mic and the guitarist, the crowd as well, sing the next part of the song, as he focuses on catching her foot. She smiles down at them before she looks up, her microphone going back to her lips, her other hand keeping steady with Todoroki's help. Midoriya can see his homeroom teacher standing behind the barricade and behind Ryoko.

 _Knock 'em in the teeth now! Never let your guard down! When they step in your house-!_

Ryoko's hand and microphone pumps the air multiple times as Midoriya hears the crowd shout, louder than Mic and the guitarist were. "Knock, knock, knock, knock 'em all the fuck out!" Midoriya can hear a faint "yeah," from Ryoko before her body weight starts to shift to his left.

Instantly, she was out of his hands, crowd surfing to the right, on top of the sea of students. She was crowd surfing! She would occasionally sing a lyric or two, mostly cheering and high fiving people as she went back to the front of the stage. Aizawa followed Ryoko, helping her back to the stage by grabbing her hand when the crowd took her to right before her guitarist. She dances around the guitarist, heading to the middle of the stage as she finishes the song.

 _Feel the fear! And swallow back the tears. Let weakness disappear. There's nobody but me here. The killer in the mirror!_

The song finishes and the crowd cheers. Midoriya watches as Ryoko moves to the drum set, grabbing a water bottle off of it and taking a large swig of it. She replaces it, moving to the middle of the stage again, facing Present Mic. The hero grins, nodding to the drummer right before he starts the next song.

Instantly, red hair begins to fly as she shakes her head back and forth, arms following as she does so, hitting each beat of the song. Midoriya can see, playing on the back curtain, clips of someone hitting a punching bag, following Ryoko's dance moves on stage, each punch landing with the beat of the music.

 _I think I got too many memories getting in the way of me. I'm about to go Tonya Harding on the whole world's knee._

Ryoko runs towards the platform on the left side of the stage, jumping on it as a fist is thrust into the air. Midoriya can see on the back curtain as she sang, clips of a younger All Might, working out and exercising, a determined look on his face.

 _And I'm stuck, night vision. So stuck, night vision. But I come to life, come to life._

She turns around, stepping off of the platform and facing Mic's setup.

 _Some princes don't become kings._

Her hand is stretched out, as if she was holding something again. She slowly begins to walk over towards Mic as the song slows slightly.

 _Even at the best of times, I'm out of my mind._

Ryoko stands before Mic, her hand moving as she inches closer to him, her hand wrapping around Mic's neck.

 _You only get what you grieve._

Some people cheer at the scene. Midoriya can tell that it's meant as a joke, especially with the way he's smiling at her. He remembers that the two are friends and extremely close at that. Regardless, the scene is a bit odd for him. Ms Ryoko was dressed as his teacher and idol.

 _Are you smelling that shit? Are you smelling that shit?_

Ryoko drops the microphone down slightly, holding it in between herself and Mic, her other hand leaving his throat to punch upwards into the air. The two friends scream the next lyric into the microphone between them.

 _Eau de r_ _é_ _sistance!_

She begins to jump up and down, moving backwards from Mic.

 _The only thing that's ever stopping me is me, hey! The only thing that's ever stopping me is me, hey!_

With each "hey" that she sang, she kicked her leg up and out. Midoriya was amazed. She could practically kick herself in the head!

 _I testify if I die in my sleep, then know that my life was just a killer dream, yeah!_

She goes back to dancing, her arms swinging back at forth to hit with each beat. There's a pause in the music, Ryoko pausing as it happens, before she continues to dance. The redhead beginning to move down the catwalk again as she performs.

 _Seems like the whole damn world went and lost its mind! And all my childhood heroes have fallen off or died. Fake tears, real living, fake tears, but the alcohol never lies, never lies._

Midoriya watched as the clips of All Might got more intense, his workout amping up with each word Ryoko sang. It was a fast song, an upbeat song, and Midoriya was amazed Ryoko wasn't more tired than she was. Especially the way she jumped and danced about in heels.

 _Some princes don't become kings._

Her hand flips up to rest atop her head, a hip cocking out as a leg is bent.

 _Even at the best of times, I'm out of my mind._

Her hand shifts, gripping onto her hair as she hunches over, singing the high note.

 _You only get what you grieve. Are you smelling that shit? Are you smelling that shit?_

Ryoko's hands extend outwards, pointing at the crowd with the microphone as they shout back at her, "Eau de résistance!"

 _The only thing that's ever stopping me is me, hey! The only thing that's ever stopping me is me, hey!_

She goes back to jumping around, kicking again with each "hey!" It's then that Midoriya catches Todoroki singing along. He's not jumping and dancing along like many others are, but Midoriya can see in his eyes, the way they light up as he watches Ms Ryoko. Todoroki knew every word.

 _I testify if I die in my sleep, then know that my life was just a killer dream, yeah!_

She continues to dance, Mic and the guitarist going to sing the next lyric.

 _Are you smelling that shit?_

As the two sing the french words, the crowd shouting the lyric with them, Ryoko runs from the middle of the stage into a cartwheel, which is followed quickly by a backflip. She lands, crouched down at the edge of the catwalk, right when the song slows. The audience erupts in cheers and applause. Ryoko slowly stands up as the music begins to pick up.

 _Some princes don't become kings. Even at the best of times, I'm out of my mind. You only get what you grieve. Are you smelling that shit? Are you smelling that shit?_

Ryoko turns around, shouting something into the crowd as she starts jumping up and down, her hands motioning for the crowd to follow her, which most do.

 _The only thing that's ever stopping me is me, hey! The only thing that's ever stopping me is me, hey! I testify if I die in my sleep, then know that my life was just a killer dream, yeah! Then know that my life was just a killer dream, yeah!_

She dances back down the catwalk, still kicking and shouting with every "hey" that the chorus contains. Finally, she's back at the center of the stage, her body turning back around to face the crowd.

 _Are you smelling that shit? Eau de r_ _é_ _sistance!_

Ryoko finally shouts the french words. Right when she finishes, her hand punches upwards, striking a pose that resembled All Might to a T. As she does so, the clip on the back curtain shows All Might hitting the punching bag once more, knocking it off of it's chain, showing himself in a silhouette.

The lights dim and everyone cheers. Midoriya felt such an adrenaline rush from watching Ms Ryoko perform. The show had only just begun and Midoriya couldn't wait to see what the singer had in store.

Ryoko moves to get a drink of water, grabbing her water bottle from the drum set. After replacing it, the lights come on, the redhead stepping back to center stage.

"Hey guys!" She says, a hand waving as the crowd erupts. Ryoko laughs, her empty hand moving to rest on her hip. "Holy _shit_ , you guys are awesome!" The singer tries to say thank you, but the words are drowned out by cheers. "Real quick, before we continue singing and performing for you guys, because, let's be real that's what you're here to see." More cheers arise from the crowd. "I just want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. This is a free show, you guys didn't have to come, and it means the world to me that you guys did so, thank you." Her hand goes over her heart, the microphone dropping for a second as her head bows at the crowd. Mic and the guitarist are clapping along with the crowd.

"Like, you guys have exams soon! You could be at home studying! But you're here!" She points to the stage, where she's standing. "Also," She extends a finger upwards. "Because I'm friends with all of your teachers, I have to say this so they don't get mad at me." Ryoko takes a few steps forward, standing at the beginning of the catwalk. "Go home and study!" She leans forward and gives an exaggerated wink, causing laughter from the crowd and herself.

"Now, I'm sure a lot of you people are like "what the hell, why is she dressed as All Might" and I can explain!" Ryoko walks around the stage as she speaks, moving back and forth, left and right. "All Might, the Number One Hero, our Symbol of Peace," Cheers erupt for the hero as Ryoko speaks. She gestures to the audience, turning to them as she does. "Exactly. This man elicits a specific response. We feel safer when we know he's around or even just near. Not only that, but people take what he says to heart. Trust me on this, I've been dating him for years." She pauses, giving a knowing look to the crowd before she continues to walk around. "For those that don't know _me_ , hi I'm Ryo, nice to meet you." She waves, people cheering for her as she jokingly extends her hand, as if they would shake it. "But I like to write a lot of messages into my songs. And I knew that those messages would be better received from someone you know.

" _I Want It_ was written for you! It was only natural to sing it as All Might. _Sidekick_ , I wrote many, many years ago for All Might as a joke. Now, the last two songs I did were heavier, they were angrier." Midoriya enjoyed listening to Ryoko talk and explain her song choices. The way she talked with her hands, and the way she talked in general, kept his attention. "I have no doubt that your teachers are teaching you great things _but_ ," Her finger extends upwards, the crowd completely silent and captivated as she spoke. "I know they're not teaching you something.

"You're allowed to be angry. Young heroes, there will be times when your day is shit. Too many villains, no breaks, no sleep, and no rewards. And let me just say," Her eyes scan the crowd, a finger pointing at people as she spoke her next words, "You're feelings are validated!"

The crowd begins to cheer, Midoriya thought he even heard Bakugo for a moment. "You're allowed to be angry! You're allowed to be upset! However!" The crowd quiets down again as Ryoko stands center stage. "Do not let that anger consume you. Do not let it get the best of you. And whatever you do, do not live your life afraid!" The microphone drops from her lips, a smile crossing it as music begins to play again, the crowd cheering.

 _I, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired and letting all these negative thoughts collide. Why betray my mind, when I know the control is mine?_

The genuine smile is back on Ryoko's face, Midoriya notices, as she moves to stand beside her guitarist, the two of them dancing together as he plays the guitar and she dances.

 _Got no time to sit on the sidelines and watch 'em play. People around the world, people around the world - gotta strike like lightning and shine like we're not afraid. People around the world say,_

Ryoko starts to jump, moving away from the guitarist as she dances to the other side of the stage. She's on the other side of Mic's setup, Mic appearing to hit varying buttons on his setup as he and Ryoko dance together.

 _I'm alive! I'm breathing today, I'm alive! Just dying to make a good vibe! I'm still in the game, and I won't live my life afraid, hey!_

She dances, beginning to head down the catwalk as the music continues to play.

 _No, nobody can relieve me of my ghosts. But I refuse to let 'em define my soul, though they come and go, I'm the one with the guts to stay._

Ryoko goes back and forth, singing to each side of the catwalk. It appeared to Midoriya like she was trying to get everyone in the audience involved, to make them feel like she was there for them.

 _Got no time to sit on the sidelines and watch 'em play. People around the world, people around the world. Gotta strike like lightning and shine through the pouring rain. People around the world say,_

Red hair starts to fly as Ryoko shakes her head back, singing as she does so. The smile never once leaves her lips.

 _I'm alive! I'm breathing today, I'm alive! Just dying to make a good vibe! I'm still in the game, and I won't live my life afraid, hey!_

Ryoko dances her way down to the end of the catwalk, placing her microphone into the stand. "Alright, alright, watch me!" She shouts, hands going straight up in the air. She brings her hands to the right, letting it bounce twice, before her hands switch to the other side, bouncing twice again. Her arms continue to do the motions as she looks over the audience. "Right, right, left, left!" Instantly, the entire crowd is joining Ryoko, causing her to shrug slightly as her arms continue to move. Midoriya can see Present Mic and the guitarist doing the motions as well. "Yeah, you guys got this." Laughter breaks out as Ryoko calls out, "Let's go!"

 _Hey, ho! Hey, ho! Hey, ho!_

The crowd sings it with Ryoko as she laughs, stepping back from the microphone for a split second before returning. "Sing it back, sing it back, sing it back! Ladies, repeat after me!" She calls, before beginning to sing and carry out a "hey." "Go!" She shouts, stepping back, arms dropping as the female students repeat her carried out "hey." Ryoko steps back to the microphone, hands coming back up to keep everyone's hands moving. "Fellas, you're turn!" Ryoko starts to sing and carry out an "oh" before she does the same thing, pointing to the audience and stepping back, eyes moving over the crowd as the male students sing.

Ryoko steps back to the microphone, her smile still in place as her arms continue to move. The music slows as she continues to sing.

 _I'm alive. I'm breathing today, I'm alive. Just dying to make a good vibe._

Her arms stop moving side to side as she, along with Mic and the guitarist, start to clap with the beat. Even the drummer joined, using his drumsticks to keep the beat.

 _I'm still in the game, and I won't live my life afraid!_

Ryoko grabs the microphone, removing it from it's stand right as large, white balloons start to fall from the top of the stage. Cheers erupt as Ryoko starts to jump and dance around.

 _I'm alive! I'm breathing today, I'm alive! Just dying to make a good vibe! I'm still in the game, and I won't live my life afraid, hey!_

She starts to move down the catwalk, dancing as she does. The crowd is hitting the balloons, causing them to bounce over them. Midoriya hits one as it heads for him. He watches as Ryoko, while still singing, is hitting some balloons back into the crowd. She's laughing as she does and Midoriya can feel that happiness radiating off of the singer, even as she moves farther away from him.

 _I'm alive! I'm breathing today, I'm alive! Just dying to make a good vibe! I'm still in the game, and I won't live my life afraid, hey!_

With the final "hey," Ryoko turns around, arms outstretched to her sides, posing as the lights turn off. Quickly, the balloons begin to disappear. Midoriya looks over to his left, catching Iida turning to him as well. The two exchange smiles before they both turn to look back at the stage.

A spotlight turns on, lighting up Ms Ryoko as she stands, center stage. She's smiling, "This was the first song Mic ever joined me on," Her head turns to look in his direction as the audience cheers. She turns back, eyes closing as she leans into the microphone.

 _Mother, you're nothing like your mama said you'd be. Why do I bother? This high is getting the best of me._

The lights turn on, taking a pinkish hue as Ryoko continues to sing. She starts to tap her feet to the beat when her band joins in with her.

 _Don't you deny - you made me choose, you made me choose. And all the times, all the things you do, you made me do._

There were many high notes in the song, each time she hit one the crowd would cheer and it would bring a smile to her face.

The music slows, Ryoko pausing before she starts to jump up and down.

 _Cause that bitch Cindy White's keeping me up!_

She starts to jump around the stage, dancing as she does.

 _That's what she likes - getting you off!_

She continues to jump and dance until she's standing next to her guitarist, her head moving forward then backwards quickly to flip her hair out of her face.

 _Yeah you,_

She puts her empty arm up to rest her elbow on her guitarist's shoulder. She smirks as she looks at the crowd.

 _Were all the rage of '89. What I'd do to you,_

Ryoko steps away from the guitarist, continuing to sing. She stops walking, popping her hip out once to as the drummer hits the cymbal on the upbeat.

 _Doesn't compare to how you never keep me in line. Don't you deny,_

She's standing at the beginning of the catwalk, hitting the high note as Present Mic, a bass guitar now strapped around his neck, walks out from around his setup and over to the center of the stage while he plays said guitar. As Ryoko hits the high note, she's pointing back at Mic, knowing he was there.

 _You made me choose, you made me choose. And all the times, all the things you made me do, you made me do._

The redhead walks back to face Mic as she sings, the two of them beginning to jump and down together.

 _Cause that bitch Cindy White's keeping me up!_

Ryoko jumps away from Mic, a smile on her face as she begins to dance down the catwalk. Mic turned to walk over to the platform on his side of the stage, stepping up on it and playing the bass.

 _That's what she likes, getting you off! She sends me home every night! Cause that's what she likes, she's Cindy White!_

She rushes to the edge of the catwalk, motioning for everyone to crouch down as she herself does. She's down, the drummer and guitarist playing by themselves. Midoriya catches even Mic crouched down on the platform. Todoroki and Iida crouched with Midoriya, the three doing it almost as soon as Ryoko motioned for it. She brings a finger to her lips, as the music begins to die. Eventually, she places the microphone to her lips, "I need you guys to dance with me." Cheers erupt, the redhead grinning. "You'll know when,"

The crowd stays crouched for a couple seconds longer, until Ryoko starts to bounce, putting the microphone back to her lips, her hand beginning to motion for everyone to jump up.

 _Cause that bitch Cindy White's keeping me up!_

Instantly, everyone is off their feet together. Ryoko is jumping, Mic as well, even the guitarist is as the crowd joins them. Ryoko is jumping backwards, hair swinging as her head moves. Mic begins to move down the catwalk, meeting Ryoko at the halfway point.

 _That's what she likes getting you off! She sends me home every night!_

The two friends are now back to back, Ryoko leaning her head on one of Mic's shoulders as he continues to play the bass, a foot tapping along with it. Ryoko has a large grin on her face, her foot tapping along with Mic.

 _Cause that's what she likes, she's Cindy White!_

The music slows, Mic's hands dropping from the bass, Ryoko's hand with the microphone falling to her side. The two are leaning on each other, each facing a different side of the crowd, large smiles on each of their faces. Midoriya caught himself cheering for the two heroes as the music stops. Ryoko picks her head off of Mic's shoulder, turning around to wrap him in a hug, the older returning it. She hits his back twice as they head separate ways, Mic back to his setup and Ryoko to the edge of the catwalk.

Cheers could be heard as Ryoko grabbed the microphone stand, adjusting its position on the stage. "I just want to take another moment to truly say thank you guys for showing up tonight." Midoriya catches himself cheering as others do as well, Ryoko sliding the microphone into its stand. "I haven't been on a stage in years and I could never get myself to come back. Something inside me kept wondering if anyone was going to show up. You know, I kept asking myself, what if no one shows up? What if no one is out there when I step onstage?" Her arm sweeps over the crowd, "You all proved me wrong so again, thank you," Cheers and applause erupt from the crowd as Ryoko continues to speak, her voice getting louder as her grip on the microphone increases. "From the bottom of my heart, thank you so fucking much!"

The redhead runs a hand through her hair, crouching down to grab a rag that was resting on the edge of the stage. She uses it to wipe her face before she replaces it, standing up. "I've got a story for you guys and I'm real quick just gonna apologize to everyone behind me because you have to stare at my butt for like, the next ten minutes." She turns around and shrugs at the people behind her before turning back to the microphone. "At least it's a cute butt," People cheer and laugh as she jokingly sticks her hip out before she stands up straight.

"So, anyway, I've been dating my lovely boyfriend now for eight years." Everyone starts to cheer, Midoriya and his friends joining in. Ryoko laughs, "I know right? Eight whole years this man has put up with me." This causes the audience to laugh again. "Forget being the Symbol of Peace and the Number One Hero, get this man a medal for how long he's dealt with my bullshit!" Ryoko laughs again, pulling away from the microphone before she steps back to it. "Anyhow, every year for our anniversary, I write this man a song. Now, I write songs for him and about him all the time but each anniversary, I always write one specifically for him. One specific song to remind him that I love his overzealous ass.

"This year though, a lot happened at once. He became a teacher here at UA," The students cheer for him, to which Ryoko smiles and nods, "Shortly after that though, the USJ was attacked." Silence passes over the crowd in a wave as hands run through red hair. "And it's not like I have to explain to you how that went down, some of you were there. But because that happened, I put writing the song on hold while we focused on him healing from the incident." She shrugs, hand adjusting the microphone slightly. "And I remember telling him that I wasn't going to have this song finished in time for our anniversary and I was so upset, okay, I was distraught. And you know what this man said to me?

"You finish it when you finish it." Ryoko smiles as she looks out over the crowd, people applauding. "I still tried to work on it, but then we made our relationship public, then I took down a villain, the Hero Killer." Midoriya, Todoroki, and Iida led the crowd in cheers for her. Ryo simply gave a small shrug, "You're welcome." Laughter erupts, as she continues. "Basically, this song took forever to write. So when Nezu came to me and asked if I wanted to do this, and after I said yes, I pushed myself to finish the song." The crowd began to cheer as Ryoko's smile grew. "Because Nezu gave me about a week to get everything together, not only did I finish the song," A finger comes up, a new one joining and counting as she makes a list, the crowd cheering louder each time she adds to the list. "My band is ready to play the song, we're going to play the lyrics on the back screen for you guys so you can sing along, and this song is going up tonight at midnight."

Ryoko bends down, taking a sip of water from a water bottle that was beside the rag, before she stands back up, a hand coming up to her forehead to help block the lights. "Now All Might, I can't see you, but I know you're out there so," Before she can continue, the crowd turns around as the lights in the Stadium turn on. All Might can be seen standing away from the group of students, next to other teachers. "Oh hey!" Ryoko shouts, waving at him as he grins and waves at her. She laughs as the crowd cheers for their teacher and Number One Hero. "Well, that worked out. Anyway, this next song is the song I wrote for All Might for our anniversary." Her eyes shift up, looking out to where All Might was standing. "So, to the love of my life. To my number one hero. To my home. You make my heart go bang. Happy anniversary, here's to at least eight more."

Ryoko smiles, taking a step back from the microphone as the band begins to play. Everyone was cheering loudly, some jumping up and down for Ryoko. Midoriya was certain he wasn't the only one who noticed, but Ryoko quoted, word for word, what All Might had written her in his post when they made their relationship public. It was poetic and it made Midoriya smile.

 _So there she stood in front of me with eyes painted bluer than the first day of the summer and the last sight of the moon._

When Ryoko stepped back to the microphone, she looked over everyone. Her eyes didn't falter from where she looked, Midoriya knowing full well that she was looking at All Might and singing to him.

 _As the stars fell all around her, what an astonishing view, that took away the last breath ever shared between two._

Compared to the other songs she had sung so far, Midoriya could see Ryoko putting everything she had into this song, even with it just beginning. The way she sang with her hands, her facial expressions, and the way she sang the song - Midoriya could tell she wanted to give All Might the best performance of the song she wrote for him.

 _And as I reached into her mouth with open eyes to see it all, I felt the comfort of her lips pressed to me, up against the wall. A wall of history and past lives that we hung within a frame. It was the first day of forever and I never was the same._

The edges of Ryoko's lips turned upwards as the music paused, her eyes still never leaving their fixed mark.

 _I never knew this side of me. I never felt like this before. You make my heart go bang and I knew that we've only begun._

She repeated those lyrics again, her hand going to cover her heart for a brief second as she sang the words.

 _So we let the silence speak for us, we stood there in the wind, so I could read her like the blind read braille, the goosebumps on her skin._

Midoriya watched as Ryoko shot All Might a wink, as she sang about feeling his skin. Midoriya wanted to sing along, to watch the lyrics cross the screen behind Ryoko but he couldn't tear his eyes from the singer. Her movements were captivating and her emotions were raw.

 _Like a fever breaking all around her, white dress in the rain. It was the first day of forever and I never was the same._

From watching the singer, Midoriya could see that she wasn't dancing as she had done with the other songs. She occasionally swayed with the music, but majority of the time, she was stationary. She mimed along to the words she sang which added to the song. Midoriya decided it felt more genuine this way.

 _I never knew this side of me. I never felt like this before. You make my heart go bang and I knew that we've only begun. I never knew this side of me. I never felt like this before. You make my heart go bang and I knew that we've only begun._

The music slowed, Ryoko's hands falling to her microphone, one hand sliding down the stand to grip it. Her eyes closed, singing much more gently than she had all night.

 _Lay with me. We don't need anything but who we are._

The guitarist and Present Mic continued to sing those words as they played, Ryoko's voice getting harder, more intense as she sang.

 _And I'll never let you go! As who we are, I will never leave you. Standing right in front of you, I see who I am!_

Ryoko pulls away from the microphone slightly, carrying the high note out as the drummer continues before the entire band picks back up with the beat.

 _I never knew this side of me. I never felt like this before. You make my heart go bang and I knew that we've only begun. I never knew this side of me. I never felt like this before. You make my heart go bang and I knew that we've only begun._

Her singing became slightly more frantic, her head shaking and eyes closed tighter as the chorus was taken higher, fist occasionally hitting where her heart was. It gave Midoriya goosebumps to hear her sing with such raw emotion. He could feel the entire weight of the eight years the two were together wrapping around him as she sang, the final words softer as the music began to die. "Lay with me. We don't need anything, but who we are."

The music dies and the audience roars with applause and cheers. Ryoko takes a deep breath, eyes finally looking down at the students before her. She smiles at them before she steps back to the microphone.

"Thank you guys," She pushes her hair to rest on her back. "For those that don't know, my best friend is Present Mic." Midoriya cheers for his English teacher. "We also make music together!" More cheers erupt from the audience. "And a dream of ours has always been to perform some of it together and we figured tonight was a great night for that to happen." Ryoko pulls the microphone from it's stand. "So I don't know about you but I'm ready,"

"Sorry what was that?" Mic says, leaning over his setup to speak into the microphone, causing a few students to cheer.

Ryoko turns around to face Mic. "I said I'm ready,"

"What did you say?"

"I said-!" Ryoko begins, but when she whips around to face the audience, her arms are extended outwards. A large grin is on her face as she shouts, her band joining in with her, "I'm ready!" Music instantly beginning to play. Ryoko ended up tucking the micorphone under her arm, clapping along to the beat, leaning over slightly to get the crowd to clap with her as she walked down the catwalk, back to the main stage. She grabs hold of the microphone again as she bends down to grab her water bottle, drinking from it as Mic grabs his microphone, stepping around his setup to walk around the stage while he sang.

 _You're feeling good, you're feeling right. Across the floor, and I'm already losing my mind. Baby girl, looking fine. Watch you playing and playing and playing these guys._

The redhead returns her water bottle, grabbing her rag to wipe her face as Mic walked around singing.

 _Catch my stare, little smile. Tell me that you're ready and you're feeling the vibe. Someday I'll be so damn sublime, we'll arrive behind a hashtag sign._

Ryoko walks to stand beside Mic at center stage. She looks over at him, microphone coming to her lips as she smiles at him.

 _I won't forget you, but I may forget your name._

The two friends smile at each other, Mic putting his microphone back to his lips when Ryoko finished her lyric.

 _My lady,_

The two jump apart from each other, Ryoko beginning to dance while Mic sang. It was exaggerated and over the top dancing, moves that reminded Midoriya of how she danced in the _I Want It_ music video. It caused much of the audience to laugh.

 _I know what you're thinking when the bass starts ringing. Can you tell me when you're stoked to start? Are you ready for tonight? Settin' it on fire and we'll dance until we're dumb in the dark._

She stops dancing, her and Mic running to opposite sides of the stage, Mic jumping onto the platform while Ryoko propped her foot up on hers. Mic was on the left and Ryoko on the right, the two singing together now.

 _My lady, I know what you're thinking when the bass starts ringing. Can you tell me when you're stoked to start? Are you ready for tonight? Settin' it on fire and we'll dance until we're dumb in the dark._

Mic stepped off of his platform, Ryoko crossing the stage, the two high fiving as the met at center stage. Ryoko pumped her fist as the beat hit, before she stops, waving her empty hand in the air to get everyone to follow her movements through the chorus. When the music ends, Ryoko puts the microphone back to her lips, singing the next part.

 _Break me down, dirty jokes. Watch me dear and say what you wanna know. Beauty lies, within the eyes of the beholder. I'll be holding you close all night._

Mic walks over to Ryoko, taking her right hand in his and he stands to her right. She looks at him, a smile on her face as he sings.

 _I won't forget you, but I may forget your name._

Ryoko turns to face him, their hands still intertwined.

 _My lady,_

Instantly, the two start dancing together. They're twirling each other around, kicking and dancing along to the beat - all while singing. Midoriya found it thoroughly entertaining, both himself and Iida extending their hands in the air to clap and applaud for them, as many others did.

 _I know what you're thinking when the bass starts ringing. Can you tell me when you're stoked to start? Are you ready for tonight? Settin' it on fire and we'll dance until we're dumb in the dark._

The two singers separate, moving to opposite sides of the stage, different from where they were for the last chorus. Mic stands on the platform on the right of the stage, while Ryo jumps up and crouches down on the other platform.

 _My lady, I know what you're thinking when the bass starts ringing. Can you tell me when you're stoked to start? Are you ready for tonight? Settin' it on fire and we'll dance until we're dumb in the dark._

Ryoko stands up, starting to jump as the chorus builds up. Both singers remain on their platforms, both waving their arm back and forth to get the audience to wave along with him. Ryoko's hair, Mic's hair too - even with part of it tied up, was flying through the air as they got more into the song.

They step off the platforms, walking over to each to face one another. Mic puts his microphone, Ryoko's down at her side.

 _I won't forget you, but I may forget your name._

The beat began to pick up again as Mic drops his microphone, his hands moving down, Ryoko's foot stepping on his hands. His knees bend, giving her support as they bounce once before Ryoko puts both of her feet in his hands and with the help of Mic, backflips out of his hands, landing right when the beat drops. Cheers erupt as Mic and Ryoko dance around the stage, the redhead heading down the catwalk, Mic heading over to his setup again. The music fades, the microphone sliding into the mic stand at the end of the catwalk, Mic beginning to push buttons, another song beginning.

 _I'm a good pretender, won't you come see my show?_

It was only Ryoko singing, as she stood at the end of the catwalk, her hands extending outwards as she gestured to the crowd.

 _I've got lots of problems. Well, good thing nobody knows._

Ryoko shrugs, smiling at the crowd as she begins to sway with the music, stepping side to side, but making sure to stay with the microphone.

 _Oh, I'm insecure, I'm insecure. I think I lack what I'm supposed to, lack what I'm supposed to. I don't even mess with drugs. I do that cause you say it's dope to, you say it's dope to._

The music lowers, only a small beat behind Ryoko as she sings, Mic and her guitarist joining in with her.

 _I'm a good pretender. I'm not really cool. I'm a good pretender cause I'm just like you. I do not belong here, you all clearly do. But I'm a good pretender so I'm just like -_

Ryoko steps back from the microphone, dancing as the beat picks back up.

 _I'm a good pretender!_

She continues to dance until she steps back to the microphone, singing the lyric. It's high, shocking Midoriya slightly. He didn't realize Ryoko had the range that she did. He expected it from Present Mic, but not Ms Ryoko.

 _I'm a good pretender!_

The beat slows, Ryoko taking a step back before she's at the microphone again. She stands up straighter, legs apart, fists moving to rest on her hips. Instantly, especially with the way she was dressed, she reminded Midoriya of All Might. Perhaps that was the point, as the song was called _Pretender_.

 _I look happy in every picture just so you'd think I am._

Her hands move up, fingers pointing and drawing a smile as she gave a huge grin while she sang.

 _I never say no to pictures cause that's just the person I am. In high school, I was tryna figure myself out. I was tryna be just like him._

As she sang, her hands went back to her hips, her shoulders moving up and down with the beat as she sang, a wink occurring as she smiled.

 _I'm tryna do things I don't usually do. I'm pretending to be too cool._

She continues to sing, a finger coming up to count each 'wish' she had in the song.

 _I wish my mother had more sons. I wish my friends were my brothers. I wish my ex-girlfriend didn't cheat, she pretended to be my lover,_

Her hand falls back to her waist as she continues.

 _In front of the camera screen, I make it look just like a movie scene._

Her smile grows wider, her arms coming up to flex, representing All Might even more. It elicits many cheers from the audience.

 _Diamonds on my hand, call me Lord of the Rings. Still insecure behind the scenes, though._

Her hands drop and the facade she had on quickly turned off. Midoriya could see the way she relaxed, beginning to dance more while at the microphone and the song continued.

 _Oh, I'm insecure, I'm insecure. I think I lack what I'm supposed to, lack what I'm supposed to. I don't even mess with drugs. I do that cause you say it's dope to, you say it's dope to._

The music slows slightly, but the beat behind Ryoko's singing was more than what it was. Midoriya caught himself nodding along with the beat, watching as Ryoko continued, noticing that the drummer and the guitarist were snapping along to the beat.

 _I'm a good pretender. I'm not really cool. I'm a good pretender cause I'm just like you. I do not belong here, you all clearly do. But I'm a good pretender so I'm just like you!_

The redhead is off the microphone again, dancing away as her band played behind her. The entire dynamic of her and the band made Midoriya feel like they were more than bandmates or even friends. It felt like a small family.

 _I'm a good pretender!_

It still blew Midoriya away that Ryoko could hit the high note so easily.

 _I'm a good pretender!_

The music slows, Ryoko standing at the microphone as she herself snaps along with the ending beat of the song.

 _I'm just like you, do you like me too? Now I'm just like you, I'm a good pretender!_

The song ends and the lights go out for a moment. In the darkness, even though Midoriya can see Ryoko almost perfectly, the audience hears "We wrote this about _our_ Sports Festival!" Cheers begin to erupt as the lights come on, trumpets beginning to play.

 _Let the games begin!_

Ryoko and Mic can be heard singing as the trumpets continue, the lights turning on.

 _Let the games begin!_

The redhead fist bumps as she moves back down the catwalk, Present Mic singing the beginning of the song.

 _Passed out, all my friends went and passed out. So much for the night. Last round for A.M. lovers, that's how I come alive._

As Mic sang, Ryoko walked over to his setup, leaning over it, trying to push varying buttons and mess with it. As she tried, Mic would swat her hand away, but that only made her more relentless. He was laughing as he sang, Ryoko finally stopping as she went to sing.

 _I'm gonna be a people person in a room of people-people. I'ma keep on running this shit._

She starts dancing, still facing Mic as she flips him off, dancing to the opposite side of the stage.

 _Let the games begin!_

Ryoko jumps up onto the platform, empty arm sweeping over the crowd as she shouts the lyric. She jumps down dancing over to the next platform.

 _A people person in a room of people-people. I'ma be the kid for the win. Let the games begin!_

Ryoko drops her microphone, crouching over slightly as she motions to the left side of the audience. After a moment, she moves her arms, as if she was conducting the crowd to sing "let the games begin" as Mic and the guitarist sang. They missed it, causing Ryoko to jokingly cringe before she repeats the actions, moving her arms to conduct them. They say it slightly louder this time, but still not to Ryoko's standards as she shakes her head and jumps off the platform. She glances back over to her right, shaking her head before bringing the microphone back to her lips.

 _Let the games begin!_

Ryoko starts to jump up and down as Mic sings multiple high notes as he messes around on his DJ setup, the guitarist and drummer playing with him. Ryoko moves back, crouching down when there's a pause in the music, her chin resting in her hand as she watches Mic who began to sing again.

 _Cab ride, just up here on the right side. Two more for the road! Sometimes when that game hits the wrong vibe, you take it home._

Ryoko laughs, standing up and beginning to sing as she ran over to the left side, jumping up onto the platform once again.

 _I'm gonna be a people person in a room of people-people. I'ma keep on running this shit._

Her arms extend outwards, microphone falling to her lips as she points at the crowd. This time, they scream "let the games begin!" It brings a smile to Ryoko's face and brings out a laugh as she starts to sing again, running over to the other platform to jump up on it.

 _A people person in a room of people-people. I'ma be the kid for the win. Let the games begin!_

Ryoko does the same thing as she did on the other side, crouching down slightly and motioning for the other side to sing for her. She moves her arms, conducting the crowd as they loudly shout "let the games begin!" Both of Ryoko's fists pump into the air as she shouts "yes!" She does it again, conducting the right side as they shout, even louder this time "let the games begin!" She jumps off the platform, walking center stage, looking at the left side. She gestures to the other side, a disappointed look on her face as she stares at the left side. She laughs before the microphone is back to her lips.

 _Let the games begin!_

She begins to jump and dance around again, Mic and everyone playing. She's whipping her red hair around, still dancing. Her energy level was still high, it was as if it was the first song of the night.

As the band plays, Ryoko walks towards the drummer. She turns around, a piece of equipment on a stand in her hand. She brings it center stage, placing it down and Midoriya can see that it's almost a smaller version of Present Mic's setup, noticing it was all black with gold accents. It fit the redhead. Ryoko places the microphone on the top of the soundboard, jokingly lacing her fingers together to crack them before she crouches down slightly.

Present Mic, the drummer, and the guitarist all put their hands in the air, no one playing. But, as soon as they stop, Ryoko starts hitting buttons and turning knobs, remixing the song herself on stage. Cheers erupt from the audience as she does it, Present Mic grabbing his microphone and walking around his setup. He stands before Ms Ryoko and her soundboard as she continues to create the music.

 _A people person in a room of people-people, I'ma keep on running this shit. Let the games begin!_

Ryoko grabs her microphone, holding it behind her back as she repeatedly hits one button, creating the beat, the drummer and guitarist preparing to play again.

 _A people person in a room of people-people. I'ma be the kid for the win._

The redhead steps away from the soundboard as Mic sings "let the games begin!" Instantly, she shouts "GO!" into her microphone, the two starting to dance as confetti is blasted from either side of the stage and the end of the catwalk. The crowd starts to jump and dance with them. The friends grab one another's hands, lifting them in the air as they sing the final "let the games begin!" together before they bow. The lights go out as they stand back up. The confetti continues to fall, Midoriya's eyes looking up to watch it fall, a large smile on his face.

"Ryo and I have new music out!" Present Mic says, before the lights come up, music beginning to play. Ryoko is standing on the platform on the right side of the stage, Present Mic on the left. They're both looking at each other smiling, before Ryoko brings the microphone to her lips.

 _Remember when we all got drunk? I ended up with two broke thumbs. Oh my god, I felt so dumb. Lucky me._

As she sang, Mic could be seen singing the words as well, his microphone at his side. When she finishes, she smiles and looks over to Mic before she looks back at the students in front of her.

 _I wrote a song that no one knows. I played a show and no one showed. Oh my god, I felt so alone. Lucky me._

As Mic sang, Ryoko could be seen singing and swaying alone. The smile on her face never left. She brings the microphone back to her lips.

 _When all is going wrong and you're scared as hell. Whatcha gonna do? Who you gonna tell?_

The two singers began to dance as the next lyrics could be heard, neither one of them singing.

 _Maybe one hundred bad days made one hundred good stories. One hundred good stories make me interesting at parties._

The two singers step down from their platforms as they began to sing. Instantly, Midoriya recognized it as the lyrics Ryoko had tweeted when her relationship went public. Midoriya knew this was a way for the two to promote the new song, but the UA student knew she was sending out a message with it.

 _One hundred bad days made one hundred good stories. One hundred good stories make me interesting at parties, yeah. No, I ain't scared of you. No, I ain't scared of you no more. No, I ain't scared of you. No, I ain't scared of you no more._

Back to back the singers stood, halfway down the catwalk, much like they did for the end of _Cindy_ _White_. Ryoko was facing the left side of the audience, Mic facing the right. Mic began the verse this time, Ryoko singing along as well, miming along to the lyrics.

 _Remember when she broke my heart? Waitin' for the waiter to return my card. Right as I let down my guard. Lucky me._

Ryoko leans forwards as she brings the microphone to her lips, Mic now singing along with her and miming the song.

 _We had to work a bit more hard only just to get a little bit less far. We could laugh about it all tomorrow, couldn't we?_

Ryoko dropped her microphone, still dancing and smiling as Mic sang the next lyrics.

 _When all is going wrong and you're scared as hell. Whatcha gonna do? Who you gonna tell?_

The music pauses again, the two dancing as the next lyrics can be heard being sung from the guitarist.

 _Maybe one hundred bad days made one hundred good stories. One hundred good stories make me interesting at parties._

Mic and Ryoko start to dance and sing to the students around them before they turn to look at each, singing to another. They begin to make their way back down the catwalk as they sing.

 _One hundred bad days made one hundred good stories. One hundred good stories make me interesting at parties, yeah. No, I ain't scared of you. No, I ain't scared of you no more. No, I ain't scared of you. No, I ain't scared of you no more._

Midoriya hadn't noticed, but while the two were singing on the catwalk, people had managed to set up the stage. In the middle was Ryoko's soundboard with another soundboard set up right next to it. Behind that was two large circular drums. The two singers placed their microphones on the soundboards, picking up drumsticks. They began to play on the soundboard, nothing else playing. After a few seconds, Mic put his drumsticks down, getting everyone to start clapping, while Ryoko continued to play. She put her drumsticks down, both grabbing larger drumsticks, presumably for the larger drums.

The two singers turn to the crowd, Ryoko's drumsticks in the air as her, Present Mic, and the guitarist all shout "Screw your thing, it goes like this!" The two singers start to hit the larger drums, the drummer joining as well. Midoriya could see, as he and many others cheered for them, that Ryoko was going hard on the drum. Mic pulled away, grabbing his microphone to start to sing.

 _No, I ain't scared of you. No, I ain't scared of you!_

Ryoko pulls off the drums next, Mic still singing as she walks over to grab her microphone.

 _One hundred bad days made one hundred good stories. One hundred good stories make me interesting at parties, yeah. No, I ain't scared of you. No, I ain't scared of you._

Ryoko brings the microphone back to her lips, walking over to her best friend as the two sing and finish off the song.

 _One hundred bad days made one hundred good stories. One hundred good stories make me interesting at parties, yeah. No, I ain't scared of you. No, I ain't scared of you no more!_

They smile at each other, going in to hug one another. They're hugging each other tightly, everyone cheering for them. Midoriya couldn't believe this was the first time the two sang together. They looked like they did it every night.

The drummer and the guitarist start to play as Mic and Ryoko pull away from their hug. Mic heads back to his setup, quickly joining in on playing. Ryoko walks over to wipe her face on her rag and grab a swig of water. She turns around, facing the audience and waving. Everyone cheers, the redhead walking over to the guitarist. As he plays, Ryoko gestures to him before she begins to applaud for him, the crowd joining in. She walks back over to the drummer, using both of her fingers to point up at him before she turns and looks at him, applauding again. Midoriya and everyone applauds again as she walks over to Mic's setup. Ryoko puts her hands on her hips, a smile on her face as she gestures big with her arm to point at Mic. Everyone shouts and cheers, applauding as Ryoko does as well. Ryoko bows to him, coming up and placing a hand over her heart. She walks back to center stage, waving again to the crowd before she herself bows. Her hands come up, making the rock and roll symbol before she waves again, walking offstage.

The band continues to play, eventually the music beginning to slow. Mic stops playing first, waving at the crowd before he slips offstage. The guitarist stops next, saluting the crowd before he exits. Finally, the drummer stops, standing up before he exits his platform, walking off the stage. The lights go out.

Everyone grows quiet. The performance couldn't be over! Midoriya didn't want it to be over. He felt like he just got there. He started to look around, getting anxious. It only lasted for a second before a cheer could be heard. It was Ryoko, a video on the back screen beginning to play. Her back could be seen, still dressed as All Might. She begins to walk through the hallways, jogging slightly. Her hands come up, grabbing at the shirt and yanking it over her head. Cheers could be heard as she was now in a black sports bra. Midoriya felt like he shouldn't be watching this, but that slipped away slightly as he noticed all of her tattoos. On the back of her right arm, just above her elbow, he could see a skeleton hand, giving the rock and roll hand sign. He sees next, a circular, purple wave tattoo on her ride shoulder as she turns and pushes open a door, walking into a bathroom.

Her hand reaches out, turning the faucet on. She leans forward, splashing some water in her face before she stands up straight. Almost as soon as she stands up, and everyone sees her face in the mirror, a black hood goes over her face. Everyone in the crowd starts to shout, Ryoko struggling for a moment before the screen goes black.

The video continues, Ryoko appearing in a chair, head slumped over. She's in a black tank top, black ripped jeans, and combat boots. Her head rolls to the side and then back before it snaps forward, her eyes opening. She looks up, the camera then changing to show Present Mic, Aizawa, and Ms Midnight sitting in front of her. They're each in ripped jeans and combat boots, a different colored tee shirt on their bodies. They're all staring at Ryoko. The audience cheers for their teachers.

The camera pans out, showing all four of them. Ryoko slowly stands, the other three moving to stand with her. The camera changes again to show Ryoko's face for a brief moment before she turns around, focusing on a leather jacket that was hanging over the chair she was sitting in. She turns back around, a smirk tugging at her lips.

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

Disclaimer: I only own Ryoko Iwasaki. All other characters belong to their respectful creator, Horikoshi.

 _(F*ck A) Silver Lining_ belongs to Panic! at the Disco. _I Want It_ and _Heart Go Bang_ belong to Blue October. _Sidekick_ belongs to Walk the Moon. _Killer In The Mirror_ and _Life Afraid_ belong to Set It Off. _Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea_ belongs to Fall Out Boy. _Cindy White_ belongs to Chapel. _I'm Ready, Pretender, Let The Games Begin, and 100 Bad Days_ belong to AJR. The last song is inspired by _No Friend_ by Paramore.


	6. Chapter 5

Midoriya and his friends, along with the entire audience, watch the screen with baited breath. They watch Ryoko smirk, grabbing her leather jacket before the scene changes. It's the inside of a wooden shack, an older radio and microphone set up on a desk inside. The back of a man can be seen sitting at the desk. His face can't be seen as he reaches over, pushing a couple of buttons on the radio and turning a few knobs before he leans in. The camera pans up to his face, the face of Ingenium staring at them as he says, directly into the microphone "Look alive, sunshine."

The crowd roars, Midoriya looking up at Iida as he smiles, seeing his brother on the screen. He had mentioned that his older brother knew Ryoko, but Midoriya wasn't expecting them to know each other like this.

"109 in the sky, but the pigs won't quit! You're here with me, Doctor Death Defying. I'll be your surgeon, your proctor, your helicopter. Pumpin' out the slaughtermatic sounds to keep you alive! A system failure for the masses, anti-matter for the master plan! Louder than God's revolver and twice as shiny. This one's for all you rock n' rollers, all you crash queens, and motor babies,"

As Ingenium spoke, clips of him speaking were intermittent with clips of the other four. Midnight tied up her hair, Present Mic adjusted his boots, Aizawa put on sunglasses that resembled his goggles. The last clip was of Ryoko, her back being shown as she slipped her leather jacket on, pulling her hair out to lay over the jacket.

While the clips played, the band reentered the stage. The drummer returned, the guitarist as well, Mic taking his spot back at his setup. Ryoko was yet to be seen.

"Listen up!"

A guitar could be heard, the lights coming on, cheers erupting from the crowd. Standing on top of the platform over the drums was Ryoko. Dressed in all black this time, ripped jeans and combat boots, her leather jacket in place, a graphic tee underneath that was hidden by the guitar in her hands. She was the one playing, the band not yet joining her. Ingenium could be seen speaking into the microphone behind her as she played.

"The future is bulletproof. The aftermath is secondary! It's time to do it now and do it loud. Killjoys, make some noise!" The drummer started playing, the guitarist joining in with Mic as well, Ryoko turning and disappearing off the platform. She didn't take the stairs that were attached to it. Midoriya didn't have time to think about that as Mic and the guitarist starting singing multiple "na na na"s as they played. A moment later, Ryoko could be seen walking onstage, microphone in hand as she sang into it, holding her guitar in her other hand.

 _Drugs, gimme drugs, gimme drugs, I don't need it but I'll sell what you got, take the cash and I'll keep it._

She walked to the middle of the stage, where a microphone stand was set up there for her already. While the clips were playing, someone must have brought it out because Midoriya didn't notice it until Ryoko stood in front of it.

 _Eight legs to the wall, hit the gas, kill them all._

Her microphone slides into its stand as she continued to sing. Midoriya now realized that she saved her heaviest songs, the songs that fit her aesthetic much more, for this second set. Because she was dressed as All Might, he figured, she sang more meaningful songs for the students. But she definitely wasn't holding back now.

 _And we crawl, and we crawl, and we crawl! You be my detonator!_

Mic and Ryoko both pumped their fists in the air, most of the crowd joining them, with each "crawl" that they sang.

 _Love, gimme love, gimme love, I don't need it but I'll take what I want from your heart and I'll keep it in a bag, in a box. Put an X on the floor. Gimme more, gimme more, gimme more!_

Their fists pumped again, with each "gimme more." Midoriya watched as Ryoko took something out of her left hand and began to play her guitar after she sang her lyric.

 _Shut up and sing it with me!_

The guitarist and Mic began to sing "na na na" over and over again, the crowd joining in. Every so often, Ryoko would jump in with her own lyric.

 _From mall security. To every enemy. We're on your property, standing in V formation._

The song was chaotic in a sense, the drummer and guitarist playing wildly. Ryoko wasn't holding back on her guitar either. It was all black, fitting in perfectly with the entire aesthetic of the stage now.

 _Let's blow an artery. Get plastic surgery. Keep your apology. Give us more detonation!_

Ryoko was definitely not holding back this time around. She would shake her head back and forth as she sang, sometimes she would wildly shake her head, her hair flying everywhere. It would stay in her face, even as she sang. Midoriya thought she would shake her head to get it out of her face, but instead it continued to fall in her face.

 _Oh, let me tell you about the sad man._

As she began to sing the next verse, she stopped playing her guitar. It still remained in her hand, Midoriya realizing that she held a guitar pick in her other hand when she brought it up to adjust the microphone.

 _Shut up and let me see your jazz hands!_

Her left hand pulled away from the guitar, shaking before opening wide, to show her own jazz hand before it went back to the neck of the guitar.

 _Remember when you were a madman? Thought you was Batman and hit the party with a gas can! Kiss me, you animal!_

She goes back to playing her guitar, Mic and the guitarist singing the multiple "na na na"s again. Ryoko intervened with her lyrics again, some of them changing from the previous time.

 _You run the company, fuck like a Kennedy._

Her hips roll forward as she sings the obscene lyric, earning a few cheers from the crowd.

 _I think we'd rather be burning your information! Let's blow an artery. Get plastic surgery. Keep your apology. Give us more detonation!_

The song slows slightly, every person on stage playing less intense than they were. Ryoko stops playing the guitar all together. The look on her face becomes much more determined, angry even, as she sings.

 _And right here, right now. All the way in Hosu City._

The crowd cheers as she points out to her right. The lyric holds new meaning for Ryoko, everyone knowing this as it was the city she took the Hero Killer down in. Midoriya could tell that much.

 _The little children raise their open, filthy palms like tiny daggers up to heaven._

Her own palms open wide, facing up towards the sky. Her eyes look up with her hands.

 _And all the Juvie halls and the Ritalin rats ask angels made from neon and fucking garbage, scream out, "what will save us?!" And the sky opened up._

Her hands come down, her right hand at her guitar while the other extends out to point to her guitarist who began to play a complicated riff. It caused people to cheer as Ryoko continued to sing.

 _Everybody wants to change the world. Everybody wants to change the world. But no one, no one wants to die. Wanna try, wanna try, wanna try, wanna try, wanna try, now, I'll be your detonator!_

Ryoko spins around her microphone stand, beginning to play the guitar. It was now her turn for a solo, the only other person playing with her being the drummer. As she plays and the crowd cheers for her, she walks down the catwalk. When she gets to the end, she stops playing along with everyone else, her guitar is lifted in the air. Every band member, the drummer even standing, shouts, the crowd shouting back with her "Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na!" Ryoko smiles as she nears the end of the shout, her guitar coming back down to play again as the band rejoins her in playing. She headbangs, jumping back slightly before she turns and runs back towards her microphone. Mic and the guitarist continue to sing the same part as Ryoko interjects with her lyrics.

 _Make no apology. It's death or victory. On my authority, crash and burn, young and loaded! Drop like a bullet shell, just like a sleeper cell. I'd rather go to hell,_

Everyone's playing begins to slow slightly, Ryoko's strums on her guitar becoming slower and lesser as she sings the last lyrics of the song.

 _Than be in purgatory. Cut my hair, gag and bore me. Pull this pin, let this world explode._

The guitarist lets his last chord play out, slowly dying as Ryoko turns away from her microphone. The crowd cheers as someone runs on stage, taking the guitar from Ryoko as she was pulling it over her head. She pulls the microphone from its stand right as the lights go out. The redhead's laugh could be heard as a clip of her begins to play on the back screen. It's a close up of her face, she appears to be in an interview.

"Well everyone has a debut story, of course, so do I. That's a silly question." People begin to cheer, Midoriya does as well, thinking that maybe, this clip was alluding to them seeing Ryoko's debut.

"Is there a possibility of the world seeing that debut?" The face of the speaker can't be seen, only Ryoko's face as her head tilts to the side.

"No, because that defeats the purpose."

"And why's that?"

"If I wanted to be on the top ranked list," The screen goes black. "I would have shown it already,"

The drummer begins to hit his drumsticks together, before Mic joins in with a piano. The screen begins to show a clip of Ryoko's back, walking on the top of a building. Midoriya recognized that leather jacket with the embroidered dragon anywhere now. The camera pans up her body, starting at her feet before it lands on her face. She looked younger, much younger, and it began to confirm the fact that this could be her hero debut.

 _I am the shadow and the smoke in your eyes. I am the ghost that hides in the night._

The screen goes black, the lights coming on and giving a reddish hue to the stage. Mic can be seen clapping, getting the audience to join in as the drummer and guitarist play.

 _Boom lay, boom lay, boom! Boom lay, boom lay, boom! Boom lay, boom lay, boom! Boom lay, boom lay, boom!_

With each boom, Ryoko pumps her fist into the air. As she does, a burst of flames erupts from the platform she stood on when she first came out on stage. The lights turn on as Ryoko begins to sing.

 _Wait, wait a minute, take a step back! You gotta think twice before you react. So stay, stay a little while because a promise not kept is the road to exile._

As Ryoko sings, she begins to move closer to the left side of the stage. The guitarist and Mic shout "hey!" to which she fist pumps her microphone in the air before she jumps up onto the platform before her.

 _What's the circumstance? You'll never be great without taking a chance so wait! You waited too long, had your hands in your pocket when you shoulda been gone._

Mic and the guitarist begin to sing "boom lay, boom lay, boom" while Ryoko fist pumps, again with the booms.

 _One push is all you'll need._

A smile begins to cross her face as she jumps off of the platform, landing in the open space between the stage and the barricade. The crowd erupts.

 _A fist first philosophy. We watch with wounded eyes, so I hope you recognize!_

As she sings, she walks over to the end of the barricade and, with the help of Aizawa and the students there, she stands up on the barricade. She smiles over the students before her, beginning to sing the chorus as she reaches out, high fiving and grabbing as many hands as possible.

 _I'm on the front line. Don't worry, I'll be fine. The story is just beginning! I say goodbye to my weakness, so long to the regret, and now I see the world through diamond eyes._

As she sings, she slowly starts inching herself down the barricade, walking along it. Aizawa follows along with her as she walks, Midoriya could easily see that he was there to make sure she didn't fall or no one tried to hurt her. Aizawa was security, Midoriya realized in that moment. It made perfect sense, given the teacher's quirk. He wasn't helping her walk along either, she mostly used the students' hands for that.

She pauses on the barricade, holding on to Kaminari's hand as she looks up, her tongue sticking out as she shakes her hips from side to side at the break in the music. Just as quickly though, she goes back to singing. Midoriya could see Kirishima, right behind Kaminari, singing all the words with Ryoko.

 _Damn! Damn it all down, took one to the chest without even a sound so what! What are you worth?_

Ryoko, now holding onto Kirishima's hand, grins at the other redhead before she points the microphone at Kirishima. He eagerly shouts into the microphone the next lyrics "the things you love or the people you hurt", Ryoko nodding and smiling as he does.

 _Hey! It's like deja vu - a suicidal maniac with nothing to lose._

The singer continues to walk, grasping others hands as she makes her way down the barricade. She was getting closer and closer to Midoriya and his friends. He didn't realize it, but his smile was growing the closer Ryoko came to him.

 _So wait, it's the exception to the rule, everyone of us is expendable!_

The guitarist and Mic begin to sing "boom lay boom lay boom" again, causing Ryoko to stop walking, fist pumping along to the words. The crowd would join in with her, Midoriya catching himself and Iida participating.

 _One push is all you'll need. A fist first philosophy. We watch with wounded eyes, so I hope you recognize! I'm on the front line. Don't worry, I'll be fine. The story is just beginning! I say goodbye to my weakness, so long to the regret, and now I know that I'm alive!_

She shifts, walking again, using Iida's hand to stand at the dead center of the barricade. She could be seen everywhere now. Even still, after singing, she crouches down, balancing herself as she looks directly at Midoriya. She's grinning at him and he can only nervously smile back. He felt as it she was staring at him forever, but it was only seconds. Her hand shifts, fist bumping Iida before she leans over and messes up Todoroki's hair before she stands up. She grasps Todoroki's hand as she continues to walk.

 _I'm on the front line. Don't worry, I'll be fine. The story is just beginning! I say goodbye to my weakness, so long to the regret, and now I see the world through diamond eyes._

The song slows, Ryoko standing in front of a couple of the Class 1 B students. She's holding a girl's hand, Midoriya thinks her name is Kendo, as she stares out over the crowd.

 _Every night of my life, I watch angels fall from the sky. Every time that the sun still sets, I pray they don't take mine!_

She continues to move again, the music picking up as the band plays on the stage behind her, Ryoko giving more high fives and fist bumps. Eventually, the music slows again, her hand locked with Jiro's as she looks directly at Midoriya's classmate, singing to her.

 _I'm on the front line. Don't worry, I'll be fine. The story is just beginning._

Her eyes shift, looking now at Yaoyorozu, while she still holds onto Jiro's hand.

 _I say goodbye to my weakness, so long to regret..._

The music picks up again, Ryoko moving along the catwalk with the help of the crowd yet again.

 _I'm on the front line. Don't worry, I'll be fine. The story is just beginning! I say goodbye to my weakness, so long to the regret, and now I know that I'm alive!_

She makes it around to the end of the barricade, crouching down in front of the students there. Midoriya can see on the big screen, Ochako and Tsu were right in front of the singer. Midoriya didn't realize his friends managed to get that close to the stage nor that the screen was playing clips of the singer as she went around the barricade.

 _I'm on the front line. Don't worry, I'll be fine. The story is just beginning! I say goodbye to my weakness, so long to the regret, and now I see the world through diamond eyes._

The singer turns, jumping off of the barricade and stepping back onto the stage, again with the help of Aizawa.

She makes her way center stage again, slipping her microphone back into the stand. She steps back, Mic and the guitarist again singing "boom lay boom lay boom!" Ryoko fists bumps again with it, the fire still bursting from the floor of the platform behind the drums. Finally, the song ends, the flames going out and the stage goes dark.

"Welcome," Ryoko's voice can be heard, but in the darkness, Midoriya can see that she's crouched down, wiping her face on her rag. It was a prerecorded clip. "To the entrance exam."

People cheer and Midoriya perks up. He recognizes that intro, he had seen the music video for the song she was about to play. It was his favorite song by her. The back screen begins to show clips of students, beginning to prepare for what looks an awful lot like UA's practical exam. Ryoko is standing in front of the drums, her back to the audience as the music begins to play, the lights slowly coming on. The music drops, Ryoko beginning to move her arms as if she was conducting her band. She had done it many times with the students, but this time it was wild, her red hair looking like flames as she whipped her head about.

 _Freedom, la la la la, freedom, follow me. Freedom, la la la la, freedom -_

Ryoko turns around, stepping up to the microphone. She inhales a large breath before shouting, "Cut it!" She steps back again, arms wildly moving to conduct the audience, Mic and her drummer singing behind her.

 _Freedom, la la la la, freedom, follow me. Freedom, la la la la, freedom._

She steps back to the microphone stand, her face scrunched in anger. The back screen began to show the music video for the song. The music video showed students going for their entrance exam, struggling to pass it. Once they make it through the exam and to their classes, their classes are even more intense. By the end of the song, the students are worn thin and end up crashing because of it. All while the teacher, played by Ryoko, keeps asking more of them.

Midoriya remembered watching the video when he looked Ms Ryoko up online. _Cut the Cord_ quickly became his favorite. It was the one song where she openly criticized UA and other high schools for their entrance exams. She felt that the exams catered to those with brute strength and power quirks while others stood no chance of getting into a hero course. Ryoko had been open about her feelings in some of her other videos, and Midoriya had found himself agreeing with her. Without One For All, his dream would have ended at the entrance exam.

 _Let me tell you, I'm vicious, not pass-aggressive. I got my finger on my pulse, staring straight into a hole and I'ma get it._

The microphone is wrenched from its stand, Ryoko beginning to head over to the black platform on the right side of the stage.

 _And I'm a savage. It's automatic. I got a way of making noise, the power to destroy with no static._

She crouches down on the platform, eyes staring at the students at the barricade.

 _Now victory is all you need, so cultivate and plant the seed. Hold your breath and count to ten, just count to ten._

She stands, microphone being tossed into the air. It flips, higher than she had flipped it all night, landing in her other hand as she looks at the students on the other side of the stage.

 _I'm gonna make it rain, so ring the bell! I know it all too well - switchblade on the edge of your wrist. Can I get a witness?_

There's a pause in the music, Ryoko jumping off of the platform and walking to the center of the stage.

 _Cause agony brings no reward for one more hit and one last score. Don't be a casualty, cut the cord! Cut the cord!_

She makes her way to the other platform, jumping up on top of it and staring down the students again.

 _You gotta feel courage, embrace possession. If it was easier to shatter everything that ever mattered but it's not, because it's your obsession!_

Ryoko's movements were wild and intense. She would hit her chest or point at the crowd as she sang. Her fists would clench and Midoriya was almost certain her knuckles would go white.

 _Be a fighter, backbone, desire. Complicated and it stings but we both know what it means! And it's time to get real and inspired!_

She crouches down again as the music slows. Midoriya can see that she's holding every student's attention. Her stage presence was intense and even he had to admit that he didn't want to look away from the redhead.

 _Cause victory is all you need, so cultivate and plant the seed. Hold your breath and count to ten, just count to ten, just count to ten._

She jumps up, landing on the stage with a loud thud as she plants her feet. She begins to walk center stage again, but this time she starts to head down the catwalk.

 _I'm gonna make it rain, so ring the bell! I know it all too well - switchblade on the edge of your wrist. Can I get a witness? Cause agony brings no reward for one more hit and one last score. Don't be a casualty, cut the cord!_

She stands at the beginning of the catwalk, microphone gripped in her hand, pulling away from her lips as she shouted "cut the cord" into it. There's a pause, Ryoko staring down the students at the end of the catwalk. Midoriya could feel her piercing gaze on him as she screamed "cut it!"

Ryoko begins to walk down the catwalk, pretending to play the guitar as she held her microphone in her hand. "Cut it!" She screams again as she's in the middle of the catwalk. She headbangs, hair flying, as she eventually makes it to the end of the catwalk. The music slows again as her entire face softens slightly, the microphone coming back to her lips.

 _Cause victory is all you need, so cultivate and plant the seed. Hold your breath and count to ten, just count to ten._

The microphone pulls away from her lips as she hits her chest twice with her empty fist. She starts to walk backwards, the microphone coming back up to her mouth.

 _I'm gonna make it rain, so ring the bell! I know it all too well - switchblade on the edge of your wrist. Can I get a witness? Cause agony brings no reward for one more hit and one last score. Don't be a casualty, cut the cord!_

She occasionally sings to either side of the catwalk, still making her way back to the main stage. When she gets there, Mic and the drummer singing the background vocals, Ryoko moves the center stage microphone stand to be closer to the drumset.

 _Don't be a casualty, cut the cord!_

Ryoko goes back to the center of the stage and, with one last huge breath of air, she screams the final "cut the cord!" before she starts shaking her head, hair flying as the music ends.

The lights go down slightly, Ryoko going to remove her leather jacket. She hangs it on the top of the microphone stand. People cheer as the singer grabs a sip of water. She tucks her hair behind her ear as she bends down, grabbing her rag, microphone coming to her mouth.

"I have a new album coming soon," The crowd erupts again, as she wipes her face, throwing the towel back down. She takes a few steps away from the drumset, the music slowly beginning to fade in. The drummer begins to play, Ryoko tapping her foot along to it. A quiet "cover me" can be heard as the music picks up, everyone beginning to play, the redhead slowly crouching down. She begins to headbang to the beat, hair flying once more.

 _I can't believe how much I hate. Pressures of a new place roll my way._

As Ryoko sings, she slowly stands up. Midoriya can now see that it's Endeavor that's on her shirt. It was no graphic tee, he realized. It actually looked as if Ryoko had cut the sleeves off. The arm sleeves went to the middle of her side, the edges frayed slightly. Midoriya glanced over at his friend, Todoroki. He knew the Number Two Hero was a soft spot for him, but his friend was nodding along to the beat, mouthing the lyrics with Ryoko.

 _Jumpsuit, jumpsuit, cover me. Jumpsuit, jumpsuit, cover me._

Ryoko begins to take slow steps forward. Her eyes were fixed forward as she moved.

 _I crumble underneath the weight. Pressures of a new place roll my way. Jumpsuit, jumpsuit, cover me. Jumpsuit, jumpsuit, cover me._

She stops walking right as she gets to the beginning of the catwalk. She looks down, seemingly at the invisible line that separated stage from catwalk. She begins to shake her head back and forth as the music played before she stopped, looking up and taking another slow step forward as she sang.

 _Spirits in my room, friend or foe? Felt it in my youth, feel it when I'm old. Jumpsuit, jumpsuit,_

"Cover me" comes in quiet, Ryoko dropping her microphone and whipping her head to look behind her. Midoriya thoroughly thought someone was following her. Especially when another quiet "dusting off my jumpsuit, cover me," came from the back of the stage.

 _I can't believe how much I hate. Pressures of a new place roll my way. Jumpsuit, jumpsuit, cover me. Jumpsuit, jumpsuit, cover me._

Slowly but surely, Ryoko made it to the end of the catwalk, her microphone sliding into its stand. The music slows, Ryoko turning around to face the drummer as he gives two beats on the drum. The singer slowly raises her hand as the music slows again, moving her hand back and forth as the drummer hits two more beats. Her foot slowly moves, Midoriya thinking she was going to turn around when two more hits of the drum occurred. Instead, she turned around and a single piano key could be heard. Her eyes focus over everyone's heads. It was almost as if she had come face to face with what she was sneaking around from.

 _I'll be right there,_

She sings, and it's sad. Midoriya, and most of the crowd, felt as if she had been captured.

 _But you'll have to grab my throat and lift me in the air._

Her hand comes up, wrapping itself around her own throat. Midoriya can now see the tattoos on her knuckles. They were different music notes. Now that he looked at the singer, she was covered in tattoos. He had seen the two in the video before she was captured and reentered the stage. There were the tattoos on her knuckles and, when she lifted that arm up, he could see the faint outline of a guitar on her inner bicep. That was only one arm.

 _If you need anyone, I'll stop my plans. But you'll have to tie me down and then break both my hands._

Her hand falls from her throat, both arms moving up to show her palms. It was if she was telling whoever she was focused on to not shoot her. Or that she was surrendering.

On her other arm, now that it was extended upwards, Midoriya could see a feather, red and orange in color as if it was on fire. It reminded him of the mythological creature, the phoenix. On that same arm, on her shoulder, was a large tattoo of a skull, a flower growing out of its right eye, a butterfly on top of it's head. It was gruesome, but it fit Ms Ryoko.

 _If you need anyone, I'll be right there. But you'll have to grab my throat and lift me in the air. If you need anyone,_

Those four words were repeated numerous times, the singer's head bowing. Many thought she was crying, Midoriya thought she was at least sad. The song began to pick up again, Ryoko's head slowly rising before she began to sing again.

 _I can't believe how much I hate. Pressures of a new place roll my way._

Her hands slowly clenched, turning into fists as the looks of sadness on Ryoko's face was replaced with anger and determination.

 _Jumpsuit, jumpsuit, cover me. Oh, jumpsuit, jumpsuit, cover me!_

She screams, not directly on the microphone, her hands gripping said equipment before it was pulled from its stand. She turns, and runs down the catwalk as if something was chasing her. She gets center stage and turns back around to face the audience.

 _Jumpsuit, jumpsuit, cover me! Jumpsuit, jumpsuit, cover me!_

The music begins to fade, Ryoko beginning to look around. She was searching for whatever it was that was chasing her when she ran. As the music continues to stay quiet, she gives a large sigh before the beat begins to pick up again. She walks over to the platform on the right side of the stage, her foot coming up to rest on it as she looks down at the students before her.

 _Oh, I know how to levitate up off my feet and ever since the seventh grade I learned to fire-breathe and though I feed on things that fell. You can learn to levitate with just a little help._

She's singing quickly, her foot coming off of the platform as she moves to the end of the catwalk.

 _Learn to levitate with just a little help._

She crouches down as she begins to walk down the catwalk, sticking primarily to the right side, singing to the students at the barricade.

 _Come down, come down. Cowards only come through when the hour's late and everyone's asleep, mind you._

She stands up, still singing fast. She's not missing a single word, slowly making her way down the catwalk.

 _Now show up, show up. I know I shouldn't say this but a curse from you is all that I would need right now, man. Come down, come down. Cowards only come through when the hour's late and everyone's asleep, mind you. Now show up, show up. I know I shouldn't say this but a curse from you is all that I would need right now, man._

Ryoko is standing at the corner of the stage, crouching down as the music quiets slightly.

 _Danger in the fabric of this thing I made. I probably shouldn't show you but it's way too late. My heart is with you hiding, but my mind's not made. Now they know it like we both knew for some time I'd say._

She stands up, beginning to dance at the edge of the catwalk. The entire crowd joined her, Midoriya swaying along with her as she danced in front of him. It felt like a weight was lifted off of her shoulders, like she had nothing to hide or run from, unlike the last song.

 _They're smirking at first blood, they're circling above. But this is not enough. Yeah, this is not what you thought no, no we are not just graffiti on a passing train. I got back what I once bought back in that slot I won't need to replace._

She slides over to the other corner, still singing and not missing a beat nor a word.

 _This culture is a poacher of overexposure, not today. Don't feed me to the vultures,_

Ryoko taps her chest twice, moving now to begin to walk down the otherside of the catwalk.

 _I am a vulture who feeds on pain. Sleep in a well-lit room, don't let the shadow through and sever all I knew, yeah sever all I thought. I could depend on my weekends. On the freezing ground that I'm sleeping on please, keep me from, please, keep me down from the ledges. Better test it, wooden wedges under doorways. Keep your wooden wedges under doors._

She does the exact same on this side of the catwalk as she did on the other. She's dancing down the catwalk, singing to the students at the barricade. Midoriya was impressed with how fast she was singing.

 _Chorus, verse, chorus, verse. Now here comes the eight,_

Ryoko stands up straight, her empty hand coming up as she says "wait," the music stopping for a split second with her.

 _Habits here too, you're the worst, your structure compensates but compensation feels a lot like rising up to dominate by track two. At least they know all they hear comes from a place._

The singer is at the end of the catwalk, walking center stage. She turns around to face the crowd as she continues to sing.

 _Oh, I know how to levitate up off my feet and ever since the seventh grade I learned to fire-breathe and though I feed on things that fell. You can learn to levitate with just a little help. You can levitate with just a little help._

The lights go out as Ryoko's head jolts backwards. There's a pause in the music, the sound of crackling fire beginning to be heard before the music begins again. The crowd was in shock, there was no light on the stage. Everyone was certain that whatever danger Ryoko had faced in the previous song was gone. But, Midoriya guessed, villainy strikes at any time.

Yellow words appear on screen as a deep voice says, "Welcome to Trench." When the words appear, the crowd can see a body standing atop the platform, their arms outstretched wide. With the last drum beat, the words disappear, the person's arms falling to their side as every light in the stadium is off. It doesn't take long for the music to begin again, the back screen playing clips the tops of trees in a gray forest, what light it gives off creating a silhouette for the person on the platform. The body on top of the platform begins to slowly turn, Midoriya could see it was Ms Ryoko, hand rubbing at their face as they start to face the steps that lead down the platform.

Words can be heard as the music continues to play. It sounds like a different language, or perhaps the words were being played backwards. Regardless, Midoriya couldn't tell what it was saying. The lights turn on, Ryoko bringing the microphone to her lips and she points up with her other hand.

 _East is up, I'm fearless when I hear this on low. East is up, I'm careless when I wear my rebel clothes. East is up, when Bishops come together they will know that Dema don't control us, Dema don't control,_

She begins walking down the stairs, pointing up each time she sings "east is up." She moves down the stairs pretty quickly, a small bounce in her step as she walks center stage.

 _East is up. They want to make you forget. They want to make you forget._

The singer begins to walk to the right side of the stage, crouching down low as she's down beside the platform.

 _Save your razor blades now, not yet. Save your razor blades now, not yet._

She shakes her head, hand motioning as if to tell the crowd "no." She stands back up, stepping up onto the platform beside her.

 _I'm heavy, my jumpsuit is on steady._

She grabs onto her shirt, calling it her jumpsuit. She releases her hold on it when she sings "steady," letting the material fall back to rest against her body.

 _I'm lighter when I'm lower, I'm higher when I'm heavy._

Ryoko crouches down on the platform, showing she was lower. She slowly comes back to show that she was higher. Her head falls back, microphone dropping at the word "heavy." Slowly, her head comes back up, head turning to look to her right.

 _I'm so high, my jumpsuit takes me so high._

She steps off of the platform, beginning to walk across the stage.

 _I'm flying from a fire,_

Her hand extends out as she walks, as if to show the fire in her hand.

 _From Nico and the Niners._

She's looking at the students, shaking her finger at them before her hand comes to cover the light from her eyes, her head turning to look over her shoulder. Ryoko slowly turns back around, stepping up onto the other platform.

 _East is up, I'm fearless when I hear this on low. East is up, I'm careless when I wear my rebel clothes. East is up, when Bishops come together they will know that Dema don't control us, Dema don't control,_

She sways with the music, her finger pointing up each time she sings "east is up," again. She bends over, leaning closer to the audience as she sings about the Bishops. Perhaps, Midoriya thought, these Bishops were what she was running from in her previous song.

 _I'm heavy, my jumpsuit is on steady. I'm lighter when I'm lower, I'm higher when I'm heavy._

She repeats her actions again, with each lyric - grabbing her shirt, crouching down, standing back up, and letting her head roll backwards before looking at the audience again.

 _I'm so high, my jumpsuit takes me so high. I'm flying from a fire, from Nico and the Niners._

She steps off the platform again, now beginning to head down the catwalk this time. As she walks, she makes the same motions, holding her hand out to show fire and shaking her finger at the audience. She stops walking, her hand coming up to cover the light again, looking to the right side of the stage. Her microphone falls as she begins to walk down the catwalk. The lyrics, a deep voice, continue to play, Ryoko miming the lyrics as she walks and mouths them. She grasps her shirt, letting it fall after a second. She crouches for a moment before she stands back up, continuing to walk as her head falls back.

She begins to point up, the lyrics "I'm so high" can be heard as she does. She uses her other hand to point up again, going higher with her right hand before she repeats the action on her left. Her hands come out in front of her, the fire, before she shakes her finger at the crowd, Midoriya feeling like he was being scolded, before her hand comes up to her forehead. She's standing in place and then, suddenly, she's being lifted in the air. A section of the stage began to rise in the air, causing cheers and applause as it happens. Ryoko's hands fall, music and the cryptic words beginning to play. She brings the microphone up to her lips, slowly, and not before she creates a wide arc with her arm.

 _What I say when I want to be enough, what a beautiful day for making a break for it. We'll find a way to pay for it maybe from all the money we made, razorblade stores, rent a racehorse,_

She's high in the air now, probably ten feet from the ground, Midoriya guesses. The platform had stopped moving, Ryoko still standing in the same place until it did. Once it stops, she's walking around, still singing.

 _And force a sponsor and start a concert, a complete diversion, start a mob and you can be quite certain. We'll win but not everyone will get out. No, no. We'll win but not everyone will get out. No, no, We'll win but not everyone will get out._

She's facing forwards again, staring out at the crowd as her finger moves to point upwards yet again.

 _East is up, I'm fearless when I hear this on low. East is up, I'm careless when I wear my rebel clothes. East is up, when Bishops come together they will know that Dema don't control us, Dema don't control, East is up._

Her microphone falls, staying at her side as her finger stays up, pointing to the sky. Her eyes are scanning the crowd, many cheering and calling for her. The music continues to play, her attention going back to facing forward. The band comes to a complete stop, her hand falling and the lights going dim. Midoriya can still see Ryoko, just as he's sure everyone can. She takes a pause as people cheer for her before the microphone comes back to her mouth.

"I wrote this song about my favorite hero," The crowd begins to roar again, Midoriya thinking it was about All Might, if not him then probably Endeavor. "My heart broke when I received the news that he would no longer walk," The crowd goes silent, Midoriya's head whipping to look at Iida, who was looking up at Ryoko, mouth open slightly. "When I was told his career was _ripped_ away from him by a coward with a hero complex." Midoriya can see Ryoko's jaw clenched, she was angry, upset, more than likely both. "I always dreamed of playing him this song," Her head turns to look over the crowd, body slowly turning around in a circle to see everyone.

"If you will, sing this song and dance with me. Let's celebrate a great hero. Let's celebrate Ingenium!" The crowd erupts as the music begins to play, Ryoko beginning to dance. Midoriya smiles at Iida, as a smile crosses his friend's lips. He turns back to look at Ryoko, noticing clips of Ingenium, along with clips of cheetahs, could be seen on the back screen.

 _I am on an island, no one to confide. Eight days straight, eight hours each and not one line._

Still suspended in the air, Ryoko begins to walk around the platform, singing and looking down at the students.

 _I can feel pressure start to possess my mind,_

Her empty hand comes up slowly, her open palm pressing against her forward. She taps it against her head three times before she lets it fall.

 _So I'll take this beat I should delete to exercise._

Ryoko stands up straight, her hand coming up as she sang to mime with her lyrics.

 _No, I move slow. I want to stop time. I'll sit here 'til I find the problem._

She slowly crouches, her eyes never leaving their fixed spot in front of her as her hand stays open and outstretched.

 _No, I move slow. I want to stop time. I'll sit here 'til I find the problem._

The music plays, Ryoko pausing, flipping the microphone in her hand as she stays crouched. Her head turns to look to her right, Kirishima cheering loudly and the rest of the crowd joining him. Midoriya can see a small smirk cross her face as she shifts her body to face the side Kirishima was on.

 _I've got a pet cheetah down in my basement. I've raised him and bathed him and named him Jason Statham. I've trained him to make me these beats,_

Ryoko's body leans forward, her empty hand gripping onto the edge of the platform she was on.

 _Now my pet cheetah's quicker in the studio than on his feet._

She stands up, singing and walking around the platform. She's dancing around, red hair whipping as she does.

 _I'ma get mine and get going. I'm showing my faces in just enough places. I'm done with tip-toeing, I'll stay in my room,_

She whips to face the front of the catwalk. Her body moves and pauses with each beat, her hand slowly inching up to be held above her head, showing the 'vultures.'

 _My house is the one where the vultures are perched on the roof._

Ryoko continues to dance, moving around the platform to sing at all sections of the crowd.

 _Get behind me, I bet this nepotistic mindset will help us get ours as we're growing. This clique means so much to this dude, it could make him afraid of his music and be scared to death he could lose it._

Her body freezes as she faces the main stage, her empty arm slowly extending outwards.

 _No, I move slow. I want to stop time. I'll sit here 'til I find the problem. No, I move slow. I want to stop time. I'll sit here 'til I find the problem._

She whips around, sitting down on the edge of platform with her feet dangling over the edge, facing the end of the catwalk. Ryoko places her chin in her empty hand, appearing to be deep in thought as the crowd cheers for her. Slowly, the platform begins to lower itself, Ryoko standing up after a moment as she continues to sing.

 _No, I move slow. I want to stop time. I'll sit here 'til I find the problem. No, I move slow. I want to stop time. I'll sit here 'til I find the problem._

There's a pause in her singing as she faces the end of the catwalk again.

"There is no end! Only a new beginning! I do not mourn the loss of our hero, Ingenium, I celebrate the life of Tensei Iida!" The crowd roars, the three students at the end of the catwalk cheering exceptionally loud for the hero. "Celebrate with me!" The cheers don't cease as she leans over.

 _I can feel pressure start to possess my mind,_

Ryoko stands up straight, "Jump, jump, jump with me!" She starts to jump up and down on the platform, it only halfway down as streams of smoke shoot up from along the edge of the stage and catwalk. Midoriya, Iida, and even Todoroki were jumping with Ryoko, a large smile on her face. Midoriya could feel everyone around him jumping together in unison, clips of Ingenium out in the field playing behind the band. Even as Ryoko jumps, she's headbanging and her arms are moving. The platform is almost back down at the stage when Ryoko stops jumping, head and body leaning back as she screams, microphone at her side.

She jumps off the platform, Midoriya watching it return flush with the stage as Ryoko dances and jumps down the catwalk. The smoke continues to randomly erupt from the stage. Ryoko is center stage, the crowd roaring when they see a piano rising from the floor of the stage. The redhead is dancing, screaming one last time before the lights go out and the music stops.

The crowd cheers and applauds as the lights come back on. Ryoko is sitting at the piano, placing her microphone into the microphone stand they have on top of her piano.

"Now, I don't sugarcoat things, I don't lie," She says as she adjusts the microphone stand, her hands going to rest on her thighs as she turns to look at the audience. "But this is without a doubt, the absolute most fun I've ever had on a stage, thank you so much for being here." The crowd cheers again, Midoriya and Iida both shouting for Ryoko.

"Before we go on, I want to introduce you to a few people and thank some others," Her hand extends, gesturing to her guitarist across the stage. "This is a good friend of mine, my guitarist, and one of the most talented people I know, Haru Tanji." The crowd applauds and cheers, Ryoko applauding as well, Haru playing a few chords. Her hand then moves to gesture to the drummer. "Another dear friend of mine, my drummer, and probably the funniest guy I know, Naoyuki Onishi." Ryoko goes to applaud again, the audience joining her, as Naoyuki hits a few notes. She glances over her shoulder at Mic, who has a large grin on his face. She turns back to the microphone, hand waving in the air. "And then there's that asshole," The crowd laughs before cheering as Present Mic ran around his setup and slides on the piano bench, grasping Ryoko in a large hug. The redhead is laughing and smiling at her friend as he gets up, her own hand reaching out to smack his butt as he walks away.

"That man is your teacher, I don't have to introduce him to you," The crowd cheers and applauds again as Ryoko looks out at them. "On a serious note though, I've known these guys for a decade and, while I play the instruments for the studio versions of my songs, there is no one else I would rather have on stage with me playing my music." Her eyes turn to look at her guitarist and then up to the drummer, the crowd applauding. "Thank you guys for welcoming my friends and family.

"I also want to real quick thank the people that made this possible tonight. Principal Nezu for giving me this opportunity, Cementoss for creating my dream stage, my boss Endeavor and my good friend Aizawa for doing security, and All Might for actually pushing me to say yes to all of this." The crowd cheers for each person she names, a hand running through her hair as she leans away from the microphone only to quickly return to it. "Oh shit, you guys too, hello!" The crowd erupts, some jumping and many applauding. "I wouldn't be here if you guys weren't so thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She turns back to the piano. It was an all white, grand piano with gold accents, Ryoko's all black outfit making her stand out even more. She plays a few keys, the crowd cheering, causing her to smile before she turns back to look at the audience.

"So when I was younger and even more adamant about not doing field work, I would do anything but go in the field okay. I'd do Endeavor's paperwork, file the police reports, I would rather clean this man's house than go in the field." This caused some people to laugh and Midoriya's eyes shift to look at Todoroki. He's watching Ryoko, the expression on his face unreadable. Midoriya turns back to look at the redhead as she begins to speak again. "There were even a couple of times where I would babysit his kids. Now, I'm not _that_ much older than his kids so I kinda grew up with them and I think of them like younger siblings. Especially the youngest one," Ryoko pauses, grabbing a water bottle off the top of the piano and beginning to unscrew the lid.

"I would watch these kids and sometimes I'd go over and bring my guitar or they would come over to me and I have a room with all my instruments where I write new music and play. I was always playing something for them and there was one year where I was," She pauses again, taking a quick sip of her water before she replaced the lid and returned the bottle back to it's spot. "I was missing my parents a lot. Even though they passed away like four years prior, I really missed them." Hands come up to push red hair behind her ears, her eyes looking at the piano keys. "Now the youngest Todoroki always sat next to me when I played. And I'm talking always. Didn't matter what I was doing, playing guitar, editing on my computer, anything. He sat next to me.

"So there's one day when I'm watching the kids and I'm really missing my parents so I decide to write a song about it. The kids were eating lunch when the youngest comes into the room with me and sits on the bench with me." Her hands point to her side, the one most visible to the audience. "And he goes 'Ryo can you play me the song you just played?' I told him it was about my parents and that it was really sad and that it wasn't finished. This little man told he didn't care, he wanted to hear it." She laughs slightly, her body shifting on the bench as she got more comfortable. "But because he did that, this song reminds me of him. He would always sit with me and want to hear this song so for years this song has been dedicated to him." Ryoko smiles, eyes looking right down the end of the catwalk. Midoriya knew she was looking right at Todoroki. He turns to his friend and sees a small smile on his lips. "And that'll never change. This song is called _The Void_ and it's for my main man Shoto Todoroki."

People cheer, Todoroki himself clapping for Ryoko. She begins to play the piano, the screen on the back beginning to show old pictures of Ryoko and her parents. Midoriya remembers the videos were she would talk about her parents. They passed away when she was a First Year at UA. She was Midoriya's age. Midoriya couldn't imagine losing his parents, let alone watch them grow sicker and weaker as Ryoko did. If Midoriya remembered correctly, they both passed away from varying types of cancer.

 _This ship has crashed. We burn down the past like ghost-drifted ash. Your photograph is all that will last. There's no turning back._

Midoriya looks back over at his friend. Todoroki singing along with Ryoko. Midoriya could remember the day Ryoko's music video for _I Want It_ had come out and his classmate's talked about their favorite songs by Ms Ryoko. Todoroki's was _The Void_.

 _Now I'm all alone. The future unknown, got nowhere to go. But I'll survive, the loneliest nights. Won't give up the fight._

As Ryoko sang, different pictures of her and her parents appeared on the screen. There was a family picture of the three of them, one where Ryoko couldn't have been older than six. With each new picture, Ryoko slowly aged.

 _Through the void, through the void, through the endless void, I'll march on and on and on and on without you. Hear the voice, hear the voice of the hearts destroyed. I'll march on and on and on and on without you. And I'll keep singing our song, 'til tomorrow._

As she played the piano, her band began to join her. The drummer first, followed by Mic, and then the guitarist.

 _The emptiness, it kills like a kiss, the violent abyss._

Ryoko turns her head to look out into the crowd. As she does, an image on screen fades in. It was her parents, both in hospital beds. They each had no hair and were connected to a multitude of IVS and wires. In between them, in a chair, sat a high school Ryoko. A hospital mask was on her face, her hand in the rock and roll gesture. Both her parents were smiling, giving the same gesture in the picture.

 _Farewell again. We've come to an end, I'll miss you my friend._

Midoriya lets out a breath. Even though a smile was on Ryoko's face, Midoriya knew it couldn't be easy saying goodbye to her parents again.

 _Carry on, carry on!_

The image changes again, showing Ryoko in her hero outfit and standing next to Endeavor. She looked like the Third Years behind Midoriya. She must have just graduated. In the picture, Endeavor had his arms crossed, staring at the camera. Ryoko had her arms crossed as well, but she was puffing her chest out to imitate the Pro Hero. It brought a smile to Midoriya's face.

 _Through the void, through the void, through the endless void, I'll march on and on and on and on without you._

The picture fades, a slightly older Ryoko and a younger All Might being shown. They were sitting in a coffee shop, Ryoko's hair braided down her back as she gave a small smile to the camera. All Might was grinning wide, clearly the one taking the picture. There was a caption to the photo, reading 'First Date,' to which the entire crowd cheered for.

 _Hear the voice, hear the voice of the hearts destroyed. I'll march on and on and on and on without you. And I'll keep singing our song, 'til tomorrow._

Ryoko began to play harshly on the keys as her drummer played just as intense. It slowed after a moment, Ryoko playing the piano softer before she leaned into the microphone again.

 _How can I carry on, carry on without you? Carry on!_

The image changes as she sings the words, a picture of her at a piano, looking down at her side. She's smiling down at a young Todoroki. His face was barely seen over the top of the large piano.

 _We fail, we fall but just keep walking through it all. Got to face another day. You're here, you're gone but I had to move along 'til the darkness starts to fade._

The next picture is of Ryoko, sitting on the couch playing her acoustic guitar. A slightly older Todoroki is leaning against her arm as he watches her. Midoriya smiles and looks over at Todoroki again. His eyes are focused on Ryo, singing along to every word.

 _We fail, we fall. Just keep walking through it all. Got to face another day, won't give up the fight!_

Ryoko plays a few last keys on the piano before she pauses. Midoriya thinks it's over, hands coming up, beginning to clap. Before he can get far, the entire band joins back in, the song continuing.

 _Through the void, through the void, through the endless void, I'll march on and on and on and on without you. Hear the voice, hear the voice of the hearts destroyed. I'll march on and on and on and on without you. And I'll keep singing our song, 'til tomorrow._

The music slows again, Ryoko's hands falling from the piano keys to rest in her lap. There's a smile on her face and her face is glistening, Midoriya isn't sure if it's from sweat or tears. She leans back into the microphone, as an image of her and Todoroki appear on the screen. It's of the Sports Festival, Todoroki's second place medal around his neck. He has a small smile on his face as he's looking at Ryoko. She's in her hero outfit, crouched down to be the same height as the student. She's got a large grin on her face as she points to the medal, her other arm around Todoroki's shoulders.

 _How can I carry on, carry on without you? How can I carry on, carry on without you? How can I carry on, carry on without you? How can I carry on, carry on without you?_

Only the drums played behind her as she sang, Naoyuki playing a few more notes before it ends. The crowd roars and Todoroki can be heard cheering for Ryoko, Midoriya and Iida joining him. The cheers and applause quiets, Ryoko taking a sip of her water as she waits. When it's almost completely quiet, Ryoko's hands go back to the keys and begin to play another song.

 _The moment you arrived, they built you up. The sun was in your eyes. You couldn't believe it._

As Ryoko sang, she was smiling. Midoriya thought it looked bittersweet, as if she was only smiling to keep from showing her sadness.

 _Riches all around, you're walking, stars are on the ground. You start to believe it._

Midoriya watched as Todoroki pulled out his phone. He turned the flashlight on and held it up into the air. Midoriya looked around, many others were following suit. Iida turned his on and put his arm in the air. Midoriya fumbled, pulling his out of his pocket.

 _Every face along the boulevard is a dreamer just like you. You looked at death in a tarot card and you saw what you had to do._

Ryoko pauses, her bottom coming off the bench for a second before her hands found the piano keys one more. She leans close into the microphone, Midoriya could tell that she was gearing up for higher notes.

 _But nobody knows you now, when you're dying in LA. And nobody owes you now, when you're dying in LA._

A few times, Ryoko would hit keys before her hand would come off of them, shaking and moving in the air. It almost looked as if the keys were too hot for her to touch.

 _When you're dying in LA. When you're dying in LA. The power, the power, the power. Oh, the power, the power, the power, of LA._

Her playing slowed, a small smile still on her face before her playing picked up again. She played the keys a bit longer before her hands removed from the keys completely, Mic continuing to play violins from his setup as she sang.

 _Nights at the chateau, trapped in your sunset bungalow. You couldn't escape it, yeah._

On of her legs comes up, her foot resting on the bench as her hands go and grab her microphone. It's pulled from its stand, her other foot coming up as she stands up on the bench. She moves, stepping onto the top of the piano lid, many cheering as she does.

 _Drink of paradise. They told you "put your blood on ice! You're not gonna make it."_

As Ryoko sang, the piano began to slowly sink back into the stage. She finished the lyric before she jumped off of the piano, heading center stage as the piano continued to disappear.

 _Every face along the boulevard is a dreamer just like you. You looked at death in a tarot card and you saw what you had to do._

Ryoko begins to walk down the catwalk, her head looking around as she does, a smile coming to her face.

 _But nobody knows you now, when you're dying in LA. And nobody owes you now, when you're dying in LA._

Midoriya takes this time to look around, seeing almost the entire crowd with the flashlights shining brightly in the air. Some are waving back and forth while others stay stationary. Ryoko makes it halfway down the catwalk before she stops.

 _When you're dying in LA. When you're dying in LA. The power, the power, the power. Oh, the power, the power, the power, of LA._

Ryoko looks out into the crowd as her microphone falls to her side. Her empty hand comes up to press against her chest as she smiles at the crowd. She shakes her head, continuing to look around before she starts to walk backwards, the music fading out.

She heads back to the main stage, the lights going out as she does. People cheer, Midoriya and his friends put their phones away and wait. From the darkness of the main stage, Ryoko can be heard, "I wrote this about my boss." Cheers can be heard before blue lights start to come from the back screen, causing Ryoko, who stood center stage at her microphone stand, to be silhouetted.

 _Heaven knows that I'm born too late for these ghosts that I chase with these dreams, I inflate, painted skies in my brain. Every day, I'm Carl Sagan in space to escape this old world, this old world._

A picture of Endeavor fades into the big screen. Smoke from either side of the stage starts to flow onto the main stage, giving the performance a slightly eerie one. Midoriya still couldn't see anyone on stage, just their silhouettes.

 _Some days I lie wide awake 'til the sun hits my face and I fade, elevate from the Earth, far away to a place where I'm free from the weight. This whole world, this whole world._

Occasionally, with some of the beats of the song, the image of Endeavor would shift. Sometimes it would flash before it returned to normal, static would cross over it, or it would change colors.

 _I don't trust anything, or anyone, below the sun._

A spotlight slowly turns on, Ryoko now being able to be seen. She's smirking as she's singing, people cheering once they can see her.

 _I don't feel anything at all._

Her arms extend outwards, her smile growing as she moves into the chorus, lights coming up to shine over the entire stage.

 _I'm king of the clouds, of the clouds. I get lifted, I get lifted! King of the clouds, of the clouds. I get lifted, I get lifted!_

Ryoko continues to carry the high note, people cheering as she steps back and off the microphone, causing the note to naturally fade out. She looks over at Mic, smiling, before she steps to the microphone.

 _Some only live to die. I'm alive to fly higher than angels in outfields inside of my mind. I'm ascendin' these ladders, I'm climbin', say goodbye. This old world, this old world._

Hands come up, fists moving to hit with each beat as she continues to sing. Her smile never once faltered.

 _And when I fall to rise with stardust in my eyes, in the backbone of night, I'm combustible dust in the fire when I can't sleep. Awake, I'm too tired. This whole world, this whole world._

Her hands slowly move down, one hand gripping the microphone. The other falls down to rest at her side.

 _I don't trust anything, or anyone, below the sun. I don't feel anything at all._

Ryoko steps back from the microphone as the music pauses. A second or two passes before she steps back to the microphone. Her hand points to herself as she sings.

 _I'm king of the clouds, of the clouds. I get lifted, I get lifted! King of the clouds, of the clouds. I get lifted, I get lifted!_

The smoke on the stage gets heavier as the song gets more intense. Ryoko continues to smile as she continues singing the song. Midoriya's eyes shift to look at Todoroki. He was singing along. Did he know every word of all of Ryoko's songs?

 _Imagination, take me somewhere I don't know! I'm lost but I better find it alone. King of the clouds, of the clouds. I get lifted, I get lifted!_

The lights begin to dim as the song begins to fade. First, the members of the band disappear, the smoke on stage slowly beginning to dissipate as well. As Ryoko sings the end of the song, she's the only one illuminated, just a spotlight on her.

 _I keep searching. Oh, I keep searching. I keep searching._

The song fades out as Ryoko steps away from the microphone stand, the spotlight turning off. The last thing to fade is the image of Endeavor on the screen, it slowly fading to black, the song ending, cheers erupting. The lights come back on as music begins to play, Ryoko seen running from center stage to the platform on the right side of the stage. She jumps onto it, her empty hand stretching out to her side.

"Dance with me, you beautiful people!" People cheer as Ryoko begins to dance, a smile on her face. She begins to tap along to the beat, the microphone going back to her lips.

 _Broadway is black like a sinkhole. Everyone raced to the suburbs. And I'm on the rooftop with curious strangers, this is the oddest of summers._

She steps off of the platform beginning to walk to center stage, miming the lyrics as she does.

 _Maybe I'll medicate, maybe inebriate. Strange situations, I get anxious. Maybe I'll smile a bit, maybe the opposite but pray that they don't call me thankless._

Ryoko stands center stage, her hand coming up to cover her heart, a smile beginning to grow on her face as the music is played quietly.

 _My tell-tale heart's a hammer in my chest. Cut me a silk-tied tourniquet._

Her hands drop, her head turning to glance at Mic. She smiles before she looks forward, the music pausing, the microphone coming back to her mouth.

 _This is my roaring, roaring 20s! I don't even know me. Roll me like a blunt cause I wanna go home. Roll me like a blunt cause I wanna go home. My roaring, roaring 20s! I don't even know me. Roll me like a blunt cause I wanna go home. Roll me like a blunt cause I want, I wanna go home._

Ryoko turns, running over to the other platform and jumps up onto it. Instantly, she begins counting on her fingers as she sings.

 _Oscars and Emmys and Grammys. Everyone here is a trophy._

She gestures to the audience, smiling as the crowd cheers before she continues singing.

 _And I'm sipping bourbon, the future's uncertain. The past on the pavement below me. Maybe I'll elevate, maybe I'm second rate, so unaware of my status. Maybe I'm overjoyed, maybe I'm paranoid. Designer me up in straight jackets._

She moves off the platform and heads center stage again. Her empty hand is back over her heart as she's bouncing along to the music.

 _My tell-tale heart's a hammer in my chest. Cut me a silk-tied tourniquet._

Haru and the redhead lock eyes, the singer winking at him before she turns back to face the audience.

 _This is my roaring, roaring 20s! I don't even know me. Roll me like a blunt cause I wanna go home. Roll me like a blunt cause I wanna go home. My roaring, roaring 20s! I don't even know me. Roll me like a blunt cause I wanna go home. Roll me like a blunt cause I want, I wanna go home._

The music slowed, even as it did, Midoriya caught himself dancing along to the song. It was high energy and upbeat, even with Ryoko mostly staying in one spot.

 _Hallucinations only mean that your brain is on fire. If it's Lord of the Flies in my mind tonight, I don't know if I will survive. Lighters up if you're feelin' me, fade to black if you're not mine. Cause I just need a sign or a signal inside._

Ryoko dropped her microphone, her guitarist and Mic beginning to sing the song. She was still singing along, her microphone down at her side. With each intense drum hit, she did a kickline down the catwalk, the crowd going wild as she made her way to the end of it.

 _This is my roaring, roaring 20s! I don't even know me. Roll me a blunt cause I wanna go home. Roll me a, roll me a blunt!_

At the end of the catwalk, Ryoko starts dancing again, shaking her head and making her hair fly around. Midoriya realized that Iida was swaying slightly to the song too.

 _This is my roaring, roaring 20s! I don't even know me. Roll me like a blunt cause I wanna go home. Roll me like a blunt cause I want, I wanna go home. I wanna go home._

As she finishes the song, Ryoko puts her microphone into the microphone stand. She laughs as people cheer for her. She scans the crowd before she looks down at her bare wrist, pretending to check the time.

"Well," She starts, hands moving to rest on her waist. "It's that time." Midoriya is slightly shocked as the crowd boos her. A hand comes up to wave the audience off, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. We're past my bedtime." Midoriya laughs with his friends. "And you guys gotta go study, don't think I forgot." Some people cheer but more laughter is what's mostly heard. She smiles. "One more time though, guys, can you please give it up for my band? They're so fantastic!" The crowd started cheering and applauding before she can finish her sentence. She steps off of the microphone, turning around and clapping for her everyone on the main stage. The guitarist is bowing, Mic waves, and the drummer shakes his drumsticks in the air.

Ryoko turns back to the microphone, "Now applaud for yourselves, god damn it! You've been beautiful tonight!" She, along with the band, applauds as the crowd cheers. Midoriya, Iida, and Todoroki all cheering and shouting. "And I'm gonna say it again, you know I am, _thank you_!" The audience continues to cheer. "This night will go down in history as a good fucking night okay!" Her hands are extended into the air, the rock and roll hand gesture on each hand. "We're not done yet, let's go!" The band begins to play as Ryoko's hand falls, beginning to step side to side with the music.

 _I'd rather be broke than braindead, living in my parents basement. Nobody knows, nobody knows._

Midoriya begins to nod along with the music, watching as Ryoko hits the high notes, making funny faces as she does.

 _My friends are all hitched and happy. I'm working all week but my ends don't meet. It's all the same, I could use a break._

Her hands come up, the drummer shaking his head and singing along as Ryoko claps along to the beat.

 _Hey! We know, we'll never see the money. So, we go, we're better on our own. Cause we've got-_

Ryoko's smiling as she takes a deep breath before a hand comes to grip the microphone, preparing herself for the long notes.

 _Soul! Soul!_

She goes back to dancing, hair shaking, some of it flying to cover her eyes.

 _Cause I just wanna chance to break the mold. I'm a bougie ass bitch deep in my bones._

She grips her shirt, shaking it a bit as the music pauses before she returns to stepping side to side with the beat.

 _My skin is sewn to my bedsheets. I haven't washed clothes in six weeks. What's wrong with you?_

Ryoko smiles as she points to one of the Third Years behind Midoriya.

 _What's wrong with you?_

Her grin widens as she looks down and points at Todoroki. Midoriya looks over at him, only to see him roll his eyes at Ryoko.

 _I'm missing getting high with Brian. My brain is fried, I ain't even trying! I need to know, where should I go?_

A hand returns to the microphone stand, another deep breath being taken.

 _Cause we've got soul!_

Her empty hand punches into the air, a few people following suit.

 _Soul!_

She takes a step back from the microphone stand only to immediately return.

 _Cause I just wanna chance to break the mold. I'm a bougie ass bitch deep in my bones._

Her hip cocks to the side, shoulders moving in circles as she sings.

 _We've got soul!_

Her hand is thrust back into the air, many more audience members following suit. She motions for them to sing with her, her mouth pulling away from the microphone. She shouts "soul!" into the crowd as they shout it back at her, fists still held in the air.

 _Cause I just wanna chance to break the mold. I'm a bougie ass bitch deep in my bones._

The music slows, Ryoko returning to the microphone, a smile never falling from her face.

 _I'm praying for some sort of miracle from you. I'm waiting for someone to take me home, could you?_

The redhead steps back from the microphone stand, her head shaking and hair flying as she does so. Mic and the guitarist sing the next lyrics.

 _Hey! We know, we'll never see the money. So, we go, we're better on our own. Cause we've got-_

Ryoko steps back to the microphone stand, a hand instantly shooting itself into the air. Midoriya, this time, follows suit, keeping his hand in the air as Ryoko sings, the music low behind her.

 _Soul!_

Midoriya and Iida join Todoroki and the rest of the crowd as they all shout the next "soul" with Ryoko.

 _Cause I just wanna chance to break the mold. I'm a bougie ass bitch deep in my bones._

Ryoko's smiling, a small "come on, come on!" barely heard through the microphone as she motions for everyone to keep singing with her.

 _We've got soul! Soul!_

Head is shaken, hair flying, as Ryoko pulled the microphone away from her slightly, to hit the high note.

 _Cause I just wanna change to break the mold! I'm a bougie ass bitch deep in my bones!_

Her closed eyes and knitted eyebrows release after the high note, the music fading as Ryoko delivers the final lyric,

 _I'd rather be broke than braindead._

"Thank you guys!" is instantly shouted once the lyric and music ends. A rock and roll hand gesture is thrust into the air as she yells before she turns and runs down the catwalk, her and her band disappearing off the stage.

People are cheering, Midoriya included, even after the performers leave the stage and the lights go out. Something in Midoriya's gut told him it wasn't over. He, along with the audience, didn't have to wait long, as a video started to play on the back screen. It was Ingenium, in the same shack as the video that played when Ryoko returned to the stage. People cheer louder, the video of Iida's older brother playing. The crowd watches as Ingenium leans into the microphone. Much like the first video, clips of Ingenium speaking were mixed together with clips of Aizawa, Midnight, Present Mic, and Ryoko. There would be clips of the group laughing, playing cards together, some of them even fought together.

"Alright children, the lights are out and the party's over. It's time for me, Doctor D, to start running and say goodbye for a little while. And I know you're gonna miss me, so I'll leave you with this. You know that big ball of radiation we call the sun? Well, it'll burst you into flames if you stay in one place too long. That is, if the static don't get you first.

"So remember, even if you're dusted, you may be gone, but out here in the desert, your shadow lives on without you." The crowd grows quiet as the last clip of the group of four was them laying still on the ground. They looked bruised and beaten, the camera panning over each of their still bodies. Midoriya knew it was just a video, but it had an eerie vibe to it.

"This is Doctor Death Defying, signing off."

Everyone watched as Ingenium reached over, turning the radio off before standing up. He heads to leave the shack, not before turning the lights off. Music begins to play, loud and triumphant. The back screen lights up again, clips of Ryoko and the others playing. Ryoko could be seen laughing with Mic. Aizawa and Midnight were looking through papers and talking. Aizawa and Ryoko in the field fighting a villain. Midnight and Mic clinking their glasses together before they drank. The videos were in black and white, giving a reminiscent feel to them.

The song began to reach its climax, the notes getting louder. Midoriya looked around the stage, waiting to see if they would return. Suddenly, the back screen goes completely white, a loud screeching noise being heard throughout the stadium. Midoriya flinched, hands going to cover his ears. But he watched as Mic, Haru, and Naoyuki returned to the stage. Against the white background, Ryoko could be seen walking up to stand on the platform above the drums. Her hand held her microphone, in its stand, the other hand gripping the stand. It was held across her body, a silhouette again. Finally, the static ends, the white fading to black, people cheering again.

The band begins to play, Ryoko turning and walking down the steps, slowly. Her microphone comes to her lips, singing as she continues to walk down the steps.

 _Nothing left, now I'm feeling numb. And just like you, I couldn't love someone. There is no one, I can belong to._

The redhead steps off the stairs, heading towards the center of the stage. When she reaches her destination, she plants the microphone stand on the ground, eyes looking out into the audience. Midoriya notices, as she sings, that her leather jacket has returned. Underneath it, however, she had shed her Endeavor tank top, replacing it with a UA crop top. Midoriya cheers, others joining him as they realize what she's wearing.

 _Take you out, never bring you back again, back again, back again. Can't recall how we lost our innocence, innocence._

Her hand remains on her microphone, body beginning to move and dance with the beat as she continues.

 _Nothing in the cage of my ribcage. Got no heart to break, like it that way. Nothing in the cage of my ribcage! Emptiness is safe, keep it that way._

She picks the microphone stand up again, beginning to walk down the catwalk. She's walking slow still, eyes facing forwards.

 _On the path of never leading home. Cut it out from my flesh and bone. And I feel like, I can't see anything._

The microphone stand is placed down on the catwalk, Ryoko stopping as she reached the halfway point.

 _Take you out, never bring you back again, back again, back again. Can't recall how we lost our innocence, innocence._

She glances to the side, a small smile pulling at her lips as she sees the crowd cheering. She licks her lips, trying to hide the smile before she turns back to the microphone stand.

 _Nothing in the cage of my ribcage. Got no heart to break, like it that way. Nothing in the cage of my ribcage! Emptiness is safe, keep it that way._

Ryoko begins to dance, shaking her hips side to side as her, Mic, and Haru all sing and carry multiple oh's. The music slows, Ryoko removing the microphone from the stand to walk down to the end of the catwalk. She slides the microphone into the stand there, Midoriya catching someone reaching up and taking the other stand off the catwalk.

 _Used to be, I had light. I had fire in my chest._

She points to her own chest, tapping it a couple of times. Up close, Midoriya can see that she had more tattoos. Over her heart, she had a scroll. On the scroll, it said _The Worry List_. Midoriya was curious about what it meant, but then he noticed her left hip. Peeking out over the top of her jeans was the head and beginning of a dragon. It went up to her waist and disappeared below her jeans.

 _Oh, but now, I'm all out. And I've got nothing left._

Her hand goes to rest on her microphone stand as the music stays low.

 _Nothing in the cage of my ribcage. Got no heart to break, like it that way. Nothing in the cage of my ribcage,_

She pulls away from the microphone, turning it to face the audience and stepping back from it. Midoriya can hear Todoroki and the crowd shout back at her, "Emptiness is safe, keep it that way!" Ryoko grins before she quickly grabs the microphone and turns it back around, singing into it once again.

 _Nothing in the cage of my ribcage. Got no heart to break, like it that way. Nothing in the cage of my ribcage! Emptiness is safe, keep it that way._

As she sings, Midoriya and Iida, along with majority of the crowd, is jumping up and down. The music slows, Ryoko reaching up to shed her leather jacket, letting it fall into the space between the catwalk and the barricade. Her tattoos and UA crop top are in full view, people cheering as it happens. A finger comes up as she looks at the crowd. "One more?" People cheer, she turns around, facing half of the crowd, the question being posed again. Ryoko turns again, getting the same reaction from the other side as she asks once more. She turns back to the microphone stand, a smirk on her lips.

"We've got one more in us, friends!" Her smirk grows into a smile as people cheer. "But before we go," The crowd quiets slightly, Ryoko's hands extending high into the air. "Please know you are not alone! Everyone here is family!" Her arms extend to the side, people cheering again. "We don't say goodbye here," Her smile widens, "Only until next time,

"I wasn't going to leave you without this one," People cheer as the drummer begins to play, the crowd cheering much louder. Midoriya recognizes the song and knows Kirishima is ecstatic. "This is our last one, let's go big! Sing it with me if you know it!" The crowd continues to roar as the band joins the drummer.

 _Record scratch, Steve Miller band. Tattooed necks and tattooed hands._

Ryoko's hands go up to rub down her neck, before the come up, her fingers wiggling as she sings. Midoriya can hear the crowd, they're louder than they have been all night. He knew instantly that this was Ryoko's first ever single.

 _Oh, how don't you drown in a rainstorm? Fresh regrets, vodka sweats._

A hand comes out, shaking as she does. Midoriya remembered watching the music video for this when he was looking through her music. An aesthetic video to say the least, done completely in black and white, clips of her singing in various places, her and mysterious masked figures dancing.

 _The sun is down and we're bound to get exhausted and so far from the shore._

Ryoko brings a hand up to the microphone, she grips it as her other hand is open wide as she sings. Mic is at his setup, hands in the air, trying to get the crowd to clap. Some join him.

 _You're never gonna get it, I'm a hazard to myself. I'll break it to you easy - this is hell, this is hell! You're looking and whispering, you think I'm someone else. This is hell, yes, literal hell!_

Her hand removes the microphone from its stand, as the chorus starts. She starts to jump around, dancing as she does. The crowd and Midoriya join her.

 _We don't have to talk. We don't have to dance. We don't have to smile, we don't have to make friends! It's so nice to meet you, let's never meet again. We don't have to talk. We don't have to dance, we don't have to dance!_

The music slows and Ryoko returns to the microphone stand, sliding the microphone back in, her hair wild and tossed.

 _Bottles smashed, I raised my hand. How can you all even stand?_

A hand extends upwards as she sings, before it comes down, gesturing to the audience.

 _And why is there joy in this poison? Faking smiles and confidence. Driving miles to capture this excitement._

Both hands come up to grip the microphone, Ryoko's eyes closing as Midoriya can see her get more and more into the song.

 _You're never gonna get it, I'm a hazard to myself. I'll break it to you easy - this is hell, this is hell! You're looking and whispering, you think I'm someone else. This is hell, yes, I am in hell!_

Once again, the microphone is ripped from the stand, Ryoko jumping back to start dancing and jumping.

 _We don't have to talk. We don't have to dance. We don't have to smile, we don't have to make friends! It's so nice to meet you, let's never meet again. We don't have to talk. We don't have to dance, we don't have to dance!_

The microphone is quickly returned to the stand, Ryoko shouting, "Let's go!" Before she steps back, continuing to dance and jump around as the band plays. Midoriya catches himself smiling wide as he watches Ryoko. Eventually, she steps back to the microphone stand. Her hands come up, gesturing for the audience to sing with her.

 _You're never gonna get it, I'm a hazard to myself. I'll break it to you easy - this is hell, this is hell!_

Ryoko's gestures get bigger, the crowd getting louder with their singing as she does. Midoriya can hear Todoroki singing to his right.

 _You're looking and whispering, you think I'm someone else. This is hell, yes, literal hell!_

Midoriya watches as Ryoko leans away from the microphone, letting out one of the longest notes he had heard. The band pauses, the crowd cheers. She stops, the lights going out for a moment before she begins to sing again, the lights turning back on in a flash.

 _We don't have to talk. We don't have to dance. We don't have to smile, we don't have to make friends! It's so nice to meet you, let's never meet again. We don't have to talk. We don't have to dance, we don't have to dance!_

Her dancing doesn't stop, even with the microphone in its stand. Even in the chaos that is her hair, Midoriya can see one of the largest smiles on her face. It could even rival All Might's.

 _We don't have to talk, we don't have to talk, we don't have to dance! We don't have to talk, talk, talk, we don't have to dance!_

The music slows, only the guitarist playing as Ryoko is at the microphone.

 _We don't have to talk, talk, talk, talk,_

Ryoko's voice gets quieter, her hands coming up to almost quiet the audience as well.

 _Talk, talk, talk, talk._

"Thank you so much, you guys are beautiful!" The crowd cheers, Ryoko waving at them with both hands. Mic leaves his setup, running down the catwalk to grab Ryoko in a hug from behind. She's laughing as everyone continues to cheer, Haru and Naoyuki both leaving their spots to walk down the catwalk. Haru had shed his guitar before he joined the others. Ryoko frees herself from Mic before she walks over and hugs Naoyuki then Haru. Mic waves at the crowd as she does, the other band members doing so as well. Ryoko gives one final wave and smile before they all walk back down the catwalk. Once they're all center stage, they turn around and line up. They link hands, their arms going up before coming down as they bow at the audience. The crowd continues to scream and cheer for them, even as they're walking off the stage. Midoriya turns to Todoroki, who's smiling at him. Midoriya then turns to Iida, the crowd beginning to disperse, chattering erupting around them.

"That was incredible!"

* * *

Disclaimer: Look Alive, Sunshine, Na Na Na, and Goodnite, Dr. Death belong to My Chemical Romance. Diamond Eyes and Cut the Cord belong to Shinedown. Jumpsuit, Levitate, Nico And The Niners, and Pet Cheetah belong to twenty one pilots. The Void, Ribcage, and We Don't Have To Dance belong to Andy Black. Dying In LA, King of the Clouds and Roaring 20s belong to Panic! At the Disco. We've Got Soul belongs to Chapel.


	7. Chapter 6

The third and final day of written tests came to an end. It was time for the practical portion. As the last person in each row collected the exams, the class began to converse. Even though it had been a week since Ms Ryoko's performance, it was still a hot topic. Every day, on the singer's instagram, a picture from the performance would be posted. A few were of her dressed as All Might, another was of her playing the guitar, and the most recent picture was of her on the barricade, pointing the microphone at Kirishima as he sang. Midoriya could tell his classmate was on cloud nine because of it. Especially since the caption on the picture read, "Meet a really cool dude. He knew all the lyrics. Def cooler than me. Thanks for jamming with me." Just from the way Kirishima and Sero talked about it, Midoriya knew the redhead would treasure it for a long time.

They didn't have much time to reminisce, as they donned their hero costumes and made their way to the Center Plaza for their next exam. The twenty students faced eight of their teachers.

"Now then, let's begin the last test." Their homeroom teacher started, the kids giving him their undivided attention. "Remember, it's possible to fail this final. If you wanna go to camp, then don't make any stupid mistakes."

Jiro looked at the teachers before them, "Why are all the teachers here?"

"I expect many of you have gathered information and believe you have some idea of what you'll be facing today."

"We're fighting those big ol' metal robots!" Kaminari shouts as Ashido gets excited about the summer camp.

"Actually, this year's tests," The principal appeared out of Aizawa's scarves. "Will be completely different for various reasons!"

"Principal Nezu?"

"You're changing things?" Yaoyorozu asks.

"The tests now have a new focus!" The principal begins as he slides down one of Aizawa's scarves, with the help of Thirteen. "There will be hero work, of course, but also teamwork and combat between actual people! So what does that mean for you?" Nezu points at the students. "You students will be working together in pairs and your opponents will be one of our esteemed UA teachers, isn't that fabulous?"

The students began to panic slightly, Ochako asking, "We're fighting the teachers?"

"Additionally," Aizawa begins, "Your partners and your opponents have already been chosen. They were determined at my discretion, based on various factors including fighting style, grades, and interpersonal relationships.

"First, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki are a team. Against me." The teacher grins at the students, gripping his capture weapon. "Then we have Midoriya, paired with Bakugo." The students jump, looking at one another. "And their opponent is,"

All Might landed in front of the students, standing to his full height and grinning at them. "I am here, to fight!" The Pro said as the students began to lose color in their face.

"We're up against All Might?!"

"You're going to have to work together boys, if you want to win." Bakugo and Midoriya began to eye each other as their Principal announced the rest of the teams and who they'd be fighting against.

"There's also one more factor that some of you will have to deal with," Aizawa began. Footsteps could be heard coming around the corner, the students turning to look. From around the corner came Ryoko, dressed in her hero outfit, hands in her back pockets.

"Tired of this face yet?" She says with a smirk, as she walks over to stand next to All Might.

"Ryoko will be joining us to give you guys a better idea of how the real world can be."

The redhead looks from the homeroom teacher to the students. "You never know what you're gonna be going up against when you step into the field. You think you're prepared, until life throws you a curveball."

"Five out of the ten teams will also have to fight against Ryoko. No one will know until they're test has begun, whether or not they'll also have to combat Ryoko." Midoriya looked at the redhead. She was smirking, eyes scanning the crowd of students. There was a fifty percent chance that he and Bakugo could be going up against Ms Ryoko and All Might. Two Pro Heroes instead of one? Not only that, no one knew the redhead's quirk. They were going into the battles completely blind.

"To complete the exam," Nezu began, "You'll have thirty minutes!" He holds up handcuffs as he speaks. "In order to win, your objective is to put these handcuffs on your teacher. Or you can win if one of you manages to escape from the combat stage."

"So, we've either got to capture the teacher or run away. It's basically like the combat training." Kaminari states.

"Yeah, but is it really okay to just jet?" Ashido questions.

Nezu gives a thumbs up, "Yupp!"

"It's gonna be much different from that combat training y'all went through earlier. After all, you're up against people way better than you!" Present Mic stated, to which Jiro questioned if he was just the announcer. Ryoko looked up at All Might, trying to hide her smile and laugh as she turned back to the students.

"This time your exam will be very similar to a real battle." Thirteen mentioned. "As strange as it is, please think of us as villains."

"Assumin' you come across your enemy, if you think you can win against them then fight, However," Snipe spoke.

"In instances where you're outmatched," Their homeroom teacher continued for the other teacher. "It would be smarter to run away and find help. Todoroki, Iida, Midoriya," The three students straighten up slightly as Aizawa speaks, "I'm sure the three of you understand." Midoriya isn't sure if everyone can see it, but Ryoko gives a small fake bow as the teachers finish talking about the exam. All Might brings out compressed weights that the teachers all begin to put on, Ryoko doing so as well.

"But what about Ms Ryoko?" Tsu questions, everyone's eyes turn to look at her. Midoriya catches a smirk cross Ryoko's lips as she continues to put on her weights. "What do we do if we also fight her, ribbit?"

* * *

The teachers sat with the Principal in the conference room, discussing the future of the final exams. Some teachers were worried about the fairness of the new idea, students in pairs fighting their teachers, Pro Heroes. They were discussing what they could do, as teachers first, to prepare them for the real world while still grading them on their abilities. Right as the Principal decided it would be best to change up the practical exams, the door slid open. Ryoko walked in, sliding her phone into her back pocket as she kicked the door shut.

"Yo," She says before she makes her way over to Present Mic, him inching over to share his seat with her, no questions asked.

"I've asked Ryoko here to help us with the practical exams. Not only will we be testing the students on more actual combat, but having Ryoko help can better prepare the students." Aizawa spoke to the other teachers. "She'll be joining five teachers for their battles with the students. I've already decided who she will be working with."

"Hold on now," Midnight started, leaning forward. "That doesn't seem very fair to the students that will only be fighting against one of us."

Ryoko's hands come up, as if saying she was surrendering, Aizawa beginning to speak again, "For the students that will be going up against Ryoko and another teacher, they will earn extra points towards their final grade if they successfully capture her. If they pass the exam, but do not capture Ryoko, they will still earn extra points, just not as many as they would had they captured her. And if they fail-"

"They fail mad hard." Ryoko says, hand coming up to gesture at Midnight. The girls smile at each other as Aizawa pulls their attention back to him.

"Anyway, let's talk about the teams and who they will be against."

* * *

"For the five teams that will be fighting Ryoko, their objective is the same. They can either handcuff the teacher to pass, or escape to pass." Aizawa states, eyes glancing over at the singer as she slides her hands back into her back pockets. "However, should you fight Ryoko and manage to cuff her, you will also have to handcuff your teacher. You will earn bonus points if you pass your exam while fighting Ryoko. You will earn even more bonus points if you handcuff Ryoko and pass."

Ryoko shrugs, "I'm kinda tired today so maybe some of you will beat me." Her eyes drift up to All Might. " _Someone_ kept me up late last night." The Hero coughs, many understanding what she was implying. But before anyone can say anything, the redhead's eyes roll. "He snores like a fucking animal." All Might coughs again, Ryoko laughing, while Aizawa reigns the attention back in.

"Let's begin. The teams will take the practical exam in the order you were called. We have a stage prepared for you. Sato, Kirishima, you're up." The first team responds, the teachers turning to head inside the building, Aizawa standing back to continue talking to the students. Midoriya watches as All Might's hand comes to rest on the small of Ryoko's back as they walk side by side together into the building. "Those waiting their turn to fight can either watch the exams or try to strategize together as a team. It's your choice. That's all."

* * *

Midoriya stood with Ochako, watching as Kirishima and Sato failed their practical exam against Cementoss. Recovery Girl left to go tend to their wounds as Midoriya stared at the screen. They went down quickly, but Midoriya took note of how Ryoko was nowhere to be seen. The chances of him fighting her were now higher as there were only nine exams left.

He had also seen how All Might and Ryoko reacted to one another. Eight years was a long time to be with someone, especially in a romantic relationship. Even if the two heroes never fought alongside one another, their chemistry otherwise would make them ruthless in battle. Not only was he going up against the Number One Hero, but there was a possibility that he would have to fight against a rogue element. Her quirk was unknown, no amount of research helped Midoriya to decipher it. It's not even like she left clues for people to figure out. She wanted herself to stay completely hidden.

It only served to make her that much more dangerous in battle.

Midoriya's thoughts shifted as he watched Tsu and Tokoyami. They were in the middle of their stage, beginning to talk about what to do when the exam started. Instantly, at the sound of the buzzer, Ectoplasm's clones surrounded the duo. The clones charged at the duo, Dark Shadow managing to grab Tsu before they could close in. When she was in the air, she used her tongue to grab Tokoyami, the two landing on the third floor. They began to run, stopping only when more clones appeared before them. Dark Shadow attacked the clones, causing them to disperse. Asui managed to aid Tokoyami from behind, knocking one down when they tried to attack. With the help of her tongue, the duo was able to make in another floor higher.

"There's no end to them!" Tsu stated, the two looking at each other.

"Let's keep moving," They continued to move and fighting, making it down a hallway. They made it to the other side, seeing the gate that they needed to pass through. They also saw Ectoplasm, Tsu making the guess that it was their actual teacher standing in the center.

"Excellent job getting past the others. But didn't Eraserhead warn you about what you may face?" The two students blinked, seconds later, a leg came out and kicked Tokoyami in the gut, causing him to double over. Tsu managed to jump back, the other struggling to get up as they looked at the redhead.

"Look alive, sunshine!" She shouts, a hand going to extend outwards. Asui launches her tongue at Ryoko, wrapping it multiple times around her arm. She only smirks, taking her arm and making circles with it, wrapping the tongue more around her arm. She gives one large and forceful yank, causing Tsu to go crashing down to the ground. She's released, Ryoko placing her hands on the railing, hurling herself over the edge. She slides down the wall, using her feet to kick off of it when she's low enough, backflipping to land.

Midoriya and Ochako watch in awe as Ryoko backs up to be closer to Ectoplasm. Midoriya had seen Ryoko in the field once before, he knew she had a certain presence about her. But he hadn't seen her fight before. The student knew that he still hadn't seen her quirk yet, either.

The two students stand, looking down at the two 'villains.' As they looked over, Ectoplasm open his mouth wide, a stream of ectoplasm being released. It grew and grew and grew, turning into a large clone of himself. The two students move as the clone's head falls against the building. The dust clears and Tsu and Tokoyami are captured in the clone's plasm.

"Dark Shadow, you just have to get through that gate!" Ryoko's feet move outwards slightly, bracing herself as the creature comes at her and Ectoplasm. Ectoplasm and Ryoko begin to fight, Midoriya noticing quickly that against the two, Dark Shadow didn't stand a chance. It was as if the two Pros were playing a game of catch with the creature, bouncing him back and forth between them. The creature manages to return to the two students for a moment before he charges at Ectoplasm. Ryoko stays back, watching as Ectoplasm jumps at the bird, the two clashing. Ectoplasm lands and Ryoko groans, her head being thrown back. Dark Shadow had managed to handcuff Ectoplasm's legs.

The two students were released from Ectoplasm's clone, the teacher giving them words of praise as it was announced that they passed. Ryoko merely makes a gesture, as if she was tipping her hat to them, in a silent congratulations. Midoriya was happy for his friends, though he grew nervous as he watched Iida and Ojiro go up against Power Loader. He didn't see Ryoko, but he didn't expect to see her, not after watching the teacher for a moment. He was wondering how Iida and Ojiro would fare. Especially as he watched the teacher appear right in front of the two.

Ochako and Midoriya grin wide as Ojiro passes through the gate and Power Loader compliments them on their teamwork and passes them. Next up was Yaoyorozu and Todoroki, against their homeroom teacher no less. The two students began their exam, running through the arena. Todoroki explained a plan to Yaoyorozu, the latter beginning to create things with her quirk. If she stopped making the dolls, the duo would know their teacher was close.

Ryoko stood next to Aizawa, on the top of one of the many buildings. It was modeled after to be a close neighborhood, Ryoko glancing around. "Do you hate your students this year?"

"What makes you think that?"

The redhead shrugs, "Just looking at who you paired me with and then who you paired against us and it's really just a recipe for disaster for the students."

"Are you underestimating my students?"

Ryoko smirks, looking at her friend's back, "Did I say that?"

"Let's go," She laughs, following the other as he begins to move along the top of the houses.

She jumps down, landing on one of the streets. "You be ninja up there and I'll be normal down here," Ryoko runs, keeping in pace with Aizawa. She rounds a corner, staring at the backs of the students.

"Yaoyorozu, you're not making those dolls," The two students gasped, turning around as Ryoko ran at the two, Aizawa dropping from the telephone wires. Ryoko goes to make a punch at Yaoyorozu, the other managing to dodge. Aizawa dodges a kick from Todoroki, managing to tie him up, stringing him up with the use of the telephone wires. The girl turns and runs.

Ryoko turns to Todoroki, the younger looking down on her. She sticks her tongue out, hands coming up to make antlers against her forehead before she turns and chases after Yaoyorozu. In no time, Aizawa catches up with Ryoko, the younger pushing herself to run faster and catch up closer with the student. Aizawa lands on top of a building, his capture weapon wrapping around Yaoyorozu's arm. Ryoko continues to run at her, aiming to land a hit on her. But, using her quirk, she manages to escape Aizawa's capture, turning and running back the way she came.

Ryoko slides to a halt, turning to look at the running girl. "Eh, what?" She pauses, chewing the gum she had in her mouth for a moment before she glances up at Aizawa. She shrugs, the two taking off after her.

They catch up quickly, Aizawa coming in to attack from above. As they close in, Yaoyorozu throws the Russian Dolls she made into the air. Aizawa swats at them, opening them. Ryoko and Aizawa are blinded. Flash grenades were inside. Ryoko groans, dropping to her knees to rub at her eyes while Aizawa lands and rubs his eyes as well. The two recover, Todoroki on the ground and unbound. Yaoyorozu faces Aizawa, Todoroki with his back to her facing Ryoko. Aizawa leaps to land on top of the nearest house, Ryoko taking a step forward. Todoroki's fists clench as she does. Her eyes never leave his.

Aizawa attacks with his scarves, Ryoko launching herself at them. The students manage to dodge, running away from the area. They wait for the perfect opportunity, right when Aizawa attacks, Todoroki counters, creating a massive wall of ice like he did at the Sports Festival. Aizawa jumps back, Ryoko falling and sliding on her bottom. Her feet end up being pressed against the ice, her head rolling back for a moment before she stands up. She turns to look up at Aizawa.

"Hey," Ryoko points with her thumb to the large wall of ice. "I could-"

"No need," Aizawa crouches down, "The escape gate is behind us. It'll be better to watch them approach from here then to try and chase them." Ryoko shrugs, walking away from ice. Aizawa's head turns before he leaps. The redhead turns, frowning.

"Cool," She states before she begins to run after him. She sees the students, covered by black cloth. She watches as her friend uses his capture weapon, but it was a decoy. The were only mannequins.

There's a catapult underneath, Ryoko picking up speed as she begins to aim for Yaoyorozu. She launches the catapult, what appears to be Aizawa's scarves being thrown into the air. The girl calls for Todoroki to use his flames, Aizawa moving backwards.

Flames are shot out from beneath the other cloak, Ryoko's hand extending out as she runs toward Todoroki. Ryoko's eyes widen, as does Aizawa as the cloth begins to harden. Ryoko slides to a halt, crouching down.

"I'm not sure we have a chance of beating you two in a full battle, but that's okay!" Ryoko stands, head whipping to look up at her friend. "Tell me something, have you heard of nitinol alloy? When heated, it returns to its original shape in an instant. It's a metal with shape memory!"

Ryoko can only watch as the fabric latches itself around Aizawa. He's handcuffed by the students, the two ignoring the redhead. The two students began to talk with their teacher, questioning how Yaoyorozu's plan ended up working.

"In doing so, it looked like I played right into your hands."

Todoroki turned, looking over his shoulder at his father's sidekick. "Why didn't you use your quirk, Ryo?"

Yaoyorozu also turned around, "She didn't use her quirk?"

Ryoko shrugs, hands coming up. "Your flames were already out there, the metal was already heated, there was nothing I could do to stop him from being captured." She rolls her eyes. "I can't remove heat, Sho."

Midoriya and Ochako grinned as he watched two more of his classmates pass their final. Ochako left, shortly after, as herself and Aoyama were next in the exams. They were up against Thirteen.

Asui joined Midoriya in the watch room, the two watching as Ochako and Aoyama were about to be captured. He was nervous for his friend. It wasn't looking good for them. But that changed when Ochako ended up letting go of the railing, sailing towards Thirteen. The black hole closed, allowing Ochako and Aoyama to capture their teacher. Midoriya was happy for them, but also managed to notice that Ryoko wasn't in their exam. Five exams had been taken and she had already taken part in two of them. She aided Ectoplasm and Aizawa, but not Cementoss, Power Loader, or Thirteen. Midoriya knew it wasn't based on quirks. His teachers could hold their own, especially against their own students. Cementoss, Power Loader, and Thirteen all seemed to be tougher matches for their opponents, Midoriya wondering if that was what determined if Ryoko was there or not. Perhaps there was a chance he would only face All Might. But with five exams remaining and three of them containing Ryoko, Midoriya knew it was highly unlikely.

The doors opened, Iida and Yaoyorozu joining Midoriya and Tsu. Congratulations were exchanged for the three that passed their exams. Ashido and Kaminari were up next, against Principal Nezu. As the exam started, the group watched as the fake stage was destroyed by the Principal, who sat in a crane. Eventually, the exam ended and the two failed their exam.

Ochako joined them, shocked that Ashido and Kaminari had failed. After some talking, the buzzer sounded for the next exam to start. It was Koda and Jiro against Present Mic. Midoriya knew this team would have trouble against their opponent. Present Mic's quirk could easily disrupt Koda and Jiro's sound related quirks.

Midoriya's eyes widened. Looking at the screen, he could see Present Mic standing before the gate. Beside him, was Ryoko. The two looked at each other, grinning, before Ryoko turned around. Her hands went over her ears, hunching over as Mic yelled into the forest.

Jiro and Koda were shaken, their hands going over their ears too. Once the yell died down, they began to run, heading for the exit gate.

"Hurry up and come on!" Mic yelled into the forest. "I'm getting bored~!"

Ryoko laughs, hands dropping as she turns to look at her friend. "Alright Mic, it's my turn." She turns beginning to run into the forest. "Don't blow my eardrums out, bro!"

Mic only waves at the redhead as she runs, then he yells, "Hurry up already!" Ryoko stops, teeth gritting as she looks over her shoulder.

"Fuck you," She mutters before she continues to run into the forest. She wasn't quite sure where the students were, but she was sure she'd find them. She heard screaming, her path changing slightly to accommodate.

Ryoko wasn't trying to hurt any of the students, they were just kids taking a final exam after all. But she was told multiple times by the teachers to not hold back. She didn't plan to do any major harm, but she was going to have some fun with it.

Another scream came from behind Ryoko, hands going to her ears but she kept running. She was stopped however, as she felt a push coming from in front of her. Ryoko didn't want to know about the students quirks. She did know some of them from the Sports Festival, but she felt it was only fair to go in without information. She wasn't telling the students her quirk, they didn't have to tell her theirs.

Mic kept yelling as Ryoko continued to run. She'd punch him in the head for it later. She did have ear plugs in, but that only helped alleviate noise somewhat. The vibrations that had passed through her earlier were no joke though. It felt like her insides were being shaken up. Nowhere near what Mic could do, but if the Pro continued to yell with Ryoko in the crossfire, she was going to go down easy.

Ryoko came upon the students, grinning as she ran at the girl. Mic yelled again, Ryoko using it to her advantage as she rammed her shoulder into Jiro. She fell backwards, struggling to get up. Ryoko could see her lips moving, but didn't know what she was saying. She continued to walk towards Jiro, a kick aimed for her chest. The student managed to dodge, her eyes turning to look at her teammate.

"Eyes on me, missy," Ryoko said, her leg coming out to sweep at Jiro's, knocking her down. She inched backwards as Ryoko continued to walk towards her. The smirk on Ryoko's face fell as she heard Mic scream. A hand comes up, ripping an ear plug out of her ear. Ryoko knew her best friend and that was a scream of panic. "Mic?" She calls, but not before she's kicked in the shin. She grunts, teeth grinding together as she turns back to Jiro. She used her quirk, sending frequencies Ryoko's way. The redhead collapsed to her knees, eyes shutting tight. The two students run past her, Ryoko emptying her stomach onto the ground.

A hand comes up to brush her hair out of her face as she shifts, sitting back on her heels as she hears the announcement that the students passed. She starts to take deep breaths, a hand coming up to rest over her rapid heartbeat. It was mostly Mic's fault, his loud pitch and bass rocked Ryoko's body. She wasn't going to tell the student's that. Ryoko would let Jiro believe she took her down.

Midoriya and the group watched with disturbed looks across their faces. Between the bugs crawling up Mic's leg to Ryoko being so shaken she vomited, it was a harsh match. He was happy for his classmates, but Ryoko looked visibly shaken. The next exam, Shoji and Hagakure against Snipe, certainly couldn't have Ryoko in it. Not after how her body dealt with both Mic's and Jiro's quirks. Watching the next exam, Midoriya was right. Though he had a feeling, if Ryoko was to fight alongside Snipe, she would have pushed herself to do so after Jiro and Koda's exam. She seemed stubborn in that way.

Midoriya swallowed the lump in his throat. Eight exams had been taken, only three of which had Ryoko in them. Meaning, the last two exams would have Ryoko. Midoriya was going to have to fight against All Might and Ryoko, while being on a team with Bakugo. It was nerve wracking, but he was hoping to calm his nerves by watching the ninth final exam.

Although, watching Mineta run and cry from Ms Midnight, didn't exactly help.

The boy ran away, Sero being knocked out by Midnight's quirk. Mineta looked over his shoulder, not realizing who he was about to run into. His body hit what felt like a brick wall, before he fell down. He looked up, eyes wide as he saw Ryoko standing above him. Her arms her crossed, smirk on her face.

"Boo," Is all she manages before the boy screams and takes off past her. Ryoko turns to watch Mineta run, laughing as Midnight steps up beside her. "I'm not that intimidating, am I?"

"I'd take it as a compliment," The two laugh, as if they were school girls on a playground. They latch onto one another's hands, fingers intertwining as they begin to head towards the boy. He had stopped running, seemingly in his own thoughts. He was ripped from them as Midnight used her whip to smack him.

"I figured I'd stay posted at the escape gate until time ran out, but on second thought I have a deeper itch that needs to be scratched."

"There's just something about the way they run and scream, that brings out a sort of, _sadistic_ side to us," The two woman laugh, Ryoko's hand dropping from the hero's, Midnight continuing to follow after the running boy. He hid, Ryoko's eyes rolling as she watches Midnight creep up closer on him. This seemed too easy to the redhead. But, as the boy came out from behind the rock, mouth covered by his classmate's tape, Ryoko started to think differently.

Her feet take her closer to her friend as the boy throws his purple balls at Midnight's whip. The whip ends up getting stuck as the boy runs past both heroes. Ryoko blinks, looking over her shoulder at the student before she turns back to her friend. The girls lock eyes and Ryoko can only shrug.

Midoriya was happy for his classmate. He managed to beat Midnight and Ryoko, dragging Sero with him through the escape gate. Midoriya gave his friends a wave goodbye as he left, heading to his exam. As he ran to the area, Bakugo was already there. He gave one look at Midoriya before he sneered and turned back to wait. The doors opened and the two walked through, the doors closing behind them. They were in a large mock city. When the exam started, Bakugo began walking, not waiting for Midoriya.

All Might and Ryoko stood side by side in front of the escape gate. His hands were on his hips as hers were crossed against her chest.

"This will be fun," All Might glances down at his girlfriend. "You and me, fighting together in the field again," Ryoko turns her head, looking up at the hero. "Beatin' up ya students."

He laughs, "We haven't fought alongside each other in a while, have we?"

The edges of her lips pull up at his laugh, eyes turning to look down the street. "I wanna say it's been a little over eight years." She smirks, green eyes flicking back up to All Might. "Still got it in you, old man?"

He laughs again. It was one from his gut, one that Ryoko knew was a genuine laugh. "You don't think I've gotten rusty, have you?"

Her hands go up in surrender. "I haven't worked with you in years!" She's grinning, turning her body to face his. "I'm a little excited," All Might nods, grinning at her as she begins to walk behind him. "Let's show your students what we've got,"

All Might bristles, a shiver going up his spine as Ryoko slaps his ass as she walks by. She turns around, a wide eyed hero looking at her. She grins, blowing him a kiss before she disappears behind the buildings to their left. All Might didn't need to know where she was going. He trusted her movements and decisions, knowing she had a plan.

He brings a fist up, punching and sending massive winds down the street. It destroys buildings as it does, knocking the students off their feet. When the smoke clears, the students are staring at their teacher. Midoriya never thought All Might could look so intimidating. Not only that, but he knew Ryoko was in the area too. He was going to have to convince Bakugo to not fight her as well, especially since they didn't know her quirk. Regardless, Midoriya gets up and starts to run in the opposite direction.

All Might charges at Bakugo, the younger launching a stun grenade at the hero, blinding him temporarily. The student uses this to his advantage, aiming to attack him from behind. All Might figures this out, turning and grabbing onto Bakugo's face. Midoriya was watching, frozen in place. Bakugo brought his hands up, aiming to shoot at All Might. Midoriya heard the sound of the blast, but his eyes widened. The fire from Bakugo's blast was being sucked into the air, streams of it disappearing the more he tried to shoot. Eyes follow the streams of fire, landing on the redhead on top of a building.

"Sorry, kid," Ryoko says, grinning as balls of fire circle around her hand. "But I can't have you shooting at his face. It's practically his brand,"

 _Ryoko Iwasaki. Quirk: Firebending. She can control any amount of fire, nothing's too big or too small! She can also produce her own fire but that tires her out and causes her to overheat like an old car!_

Ryoko's hands begin to swirl, the fire taking on the shape of a whip. Midoriya's eyes are pulled from Ryoko to Bakugo as All Might slams him into the ground. His leg is smacked with heat. He jumps back, looking up to see Ryoko moving to crack her fire whip at him again. Midoriya turns to run, only to be faced with All Might.

"Don't think I've forgotten about you already, Young Midoriya. Are you really going to leave your teammate here and runaway?" Midoriya freezes. The look in his eyes, it reminds him of the Hero Killer. Midoriya jumps back, but is slammed into Bakugo, who was aiming to hit All Might. The two land but get up, Midoriya was still trying to stop Bakugo from fighting All Might. But the student was determined.

"Coming down," Ryo calls, the fire disappearing from her hands. She leaps as All Might looks up at her, moving to catch her in his arms. He puts her down, the redhead looking up at him and grinning before he moves to charge at his students. He uses some of the rubble from his attack to lock Midoriya down, hitting Bakugo in the stomach.

Ryoko watches as her boyfriend walks over to the blonde, beginning to lecture him on how he can get better and grow. She had to appreciate his determination to be a good teacher, but now wasn't the time. Especially as Midoriya went flying past her to knock Bakugo out of All Might's way. Her eyes widen, but she wasn't entirely surprised. She knew about the kid's quirk.

Midoriya grabbed Bakugo, jumping down one of the alleyways.

"I didn't expect Young Midoriya to swoop in like that. I let my guard down." Ryoko begins to run past All Might, heading to follow the two students. "Man, do they have to make these so heavy?"

Ryoko stops running, turning around to look at her boyfriend. "They are half your body weight and you are a thick boy, let's go!" All Might doesn't hesitate in following the redhead. The two beginning running down varying streets trying to find the students.

As they run, they hear from behind them, "You're going the wrong way!" The two heroes turn around, Ryoko shifting and stepping in front of All Might, hand extending out. She wills the blast into her hand. Bakugo jumps back, firing two more blasts. Each time, Ryoko controls the fire into her hand, the flames circling and moving about her hands. She begins to walk towards the student, only for him to shout his nickname for the other student.

That's when Ryoko realizes the student is only wearing one of his gauntlets. She whips around, seeing Midoriya with the other, aimed directly at All Might. He pulls the pin, Ryoko's mind moving into overdrive. Both hands come up as the blast begins to move towards them. The students run off. The flames that she already had around her hands shot up, creating a wall of fire before her and All Might. The large explosion hit the wall, flames shooting in every direction. Ryoko clenches her jaw and takes a step forward, the flames returning to the center point, her hands. Her hands clenched into fists and she pulls her hands into her body. The large wall of fire was now solidified into a cube.

Ryoko releases a held breath, hand coming up to wipe the sweat off her forehead as her other hand reaches out for the cube. She turns around, seeing her boyfriend down on one knee. While she was able to control the fire and stop it from spreading and hurting him, she wasn't able to stop the heat nor could she prevent the wind from moving. She also knew just how much longer he'd be able to hold up.

All Might coughs, a hand coming up to his mouth as he does so. When it pulls away, Ryoko and All Might can see blood on his hand.

"Hey," She calls, stepping closer to him, looking up at him. She moves her hand to rest on her back, holding the condensed flames away from All Might. Her other hand goes over his, not caring that his blood now smeared against her palm. He looks down at her and can see the worry in her eyes. It only causes his grin to widen. She smiles back. "We're not done, and you're faster than me."

His head motions to the hand behind her back, "Are you going to use it?"

"Is rain wet?" He only grins wider as he moves past her, running after his students. Ryoko watches him take off, bringing the cube out from behind her back. She stares at it, shifting it in her hands before she plants her feet. She tosses it into the air, hands clasping together as she reels back. She swings, as if she was playing baseball, her hands and force pushing the cube forward. It soars, changing shape in the air as it does. The flames twist and curls, dancing through the air before it extends, soaring through the air.

Ryoko smirks, "Ultimate move, Phoenix Rising," A large shriek is released from the fiery Phoenix as it soars overhead. Midoriya and Bakugo lookup, eyes widening at the creature. All Might had just destroyed each of their gauntlets. The two swan dive into the ground as the creature dips, its beak snapping at them as it does. It flies back up into the air, the two students turning and rising to their feet. The creature shrinks in size as it flies back to Ryoko. The redhead is walking towards the group. With one motion of her shoulder, the leather jacket falls off both, a hand gripping it, wrenching it off and tossing it to the side. The Phoenix circles around Ryoko, dissipating into flames that covered her hands and forearms.

Bakugo turns away from Ryoko, only to be kneed by All Might and sent flying. Midoriya is grabbed by All Might and is thrown into Bakugo when he tries to jump back into the fight. Bakugo is on the ground, trying to get back up when Ryoko walks over. She flicks her hand forward, a stream of fire smacking Bakugo in the back, causing him to be flush with the ground. All Might holds onto Midoriya.

"Ah! Well isn't that wonderful, boys? You cooperated, however reluctantly, and faced me together. Sadly, that's not enough. Cooperation wasn't an option, it was a prerequisite for the exam!"

Ryoko stops in front of Bakugo, turning to look at All Might. She grins, "Hey sexy, ya single?"

All Might turns his attention from the struggling boy in his hand to look over at Ryoko. "Ryo, not now,"

She shrugs as All Might tosses Midoriya, "Thought I'd take you out on a nice date but oh well. You're loss,"

"Shut," Ryoko and All Might turn to look down at Bakugo. "Up!" The redhead turns, grasping onto All Might's arm. Bakugo releases a large blast from his hand. Ryoko uses the fire around her arms to quickly make a large, circular platform under her and All Might's feet. As the blast goes off, the platform is shot into the air. The dust from the explosion clouds the heroes' vision, Ryoko still grasping onto All Might's arm. His arm shifts, moving around her waist to pull her closer to him.

"New Hampshire," She braces herself, hands coming up to shield her head as All Might brings a fist back. "Smash!" He punches, his arm releasing Ryoko as he hurls himself into Midoriya. Her hands return to her side, grinning as she rides the platform down. It shatters on the ground, like glass, before the shards beginning to liquify, swirling around Ryoko's hands again. She brings her hands up, watching the flames dance.

She hadn't used her quirk in a while. She tried not to ever use it. But before the exam, All Might and Ryoko had created a game plan. Of course, knowing All Might, he wanted to make the exam a teachable moment for the two students that hated each other. The Number One Hero felt that if Ryoko used her quirk, it would push the two of them to work together and pass the exam. Without her, All Might told her, the two would fail against him. Besides, she couldn't say no to those puppy dog eyes.

A loud blast occurs over head and the redhead turns, seeing Bakugo hit All Might straight on. "Damn it," She curses, beginning to run at Bakugo. He was soaring through the air, back to her. She threw a hand out, the flames reaching out and wrapping around Bakugo's middle. The flames weren't hot, she was thankful she had learned that much from Endeavor. She was able to control and regulate the temperature of the fire she used. The last thing she needed was for Recovery Girl to get mad at her for burning the students.

She yanks her hand backwards, sending Bakugo flying past her and into the ground. She stops running, turning around to face the kid. "Stay down," She says, pointing at him as she runs ahead. She knew the kid wasn't going to stay down. He stood, aiming to fire another blast at All Might. Ryoko stops running, hand extending outwards, willing his fire into the palm of her hand. He moves to make another blast, Ryoko's other hand extending and pulling that blast into her. The flames covered most of her arms now.

All Might grabbed onto Bakugo and pushed him into the ground. Ryoko smirked, leaving her boyfriend to the kid as she turned, eyes staring at Midoriya. He was staring wide eyed at her. Ryoko began to walk towards the kid, the flames shifting back into the Phoenix. It launches into the sky before it comes to rest on her shoulder.

Midoriya couldn't tell where Ryoko's hair ended and where the flames began.

As she walked towards him, all she can do was raise an eyebrow. She hadn't expected him to just stare at her.

She blinks, a sharp wind blowing past her. Green eyes go wide as the Phoenix on her shoulder is blown off, being shattered into embers. She turns around, just in time to see Midoriya land a punch to All Might's jaw. Ryoko begins to run towards the students, Midoriya picking up Bakugo and beginning to run towards the exit gate. All Might stands, beginning to speak before he falters and coughs, dropping to his knee.

Ryoko looked over her shoulder as Midoriya passes her, but at the sound of his cough, she turns back to All Might. She paused before her feet carried her towards All Might. It was just a stupid final exam. She'd tell Aizawa that the kids were too close to the exit gate for her to try and chase him. If he didn't like her excuse, so be it. Ryoko could see the smoke beginning to seep off of All Might.

She bends down in front of him, kneeling on the ground. The entire back of his hand is covered in blood. Her hands move up to grasp his cheeks, turning his attention from his blood to her. The two lock eyes and stare at one another for a moment, before Ryoko gives him a small smile.

"Recovery Girl is gonna be piiiiissed at you,"

* * *

"All Might, you really don't know how to hold back!"

"Told you," Ryoko mutters, leaning slightly into her boyfriend before she stands up straight, eyes looking anywhere but the tiny, angry woman before them.

"If you hit these boys any harder, they'd have permanent damage!" Recovery Girl's eyes shift to Ryoko. Her hands immediately come up in surrender.

"My flames were not hot ask them when they wake up!" Ryoko's eyes finally shift up to look at All Might. He looked deep in thought as he looked at the students. She leans over, elbowing him lightly. "Hey big guy," He looks down at her. "Let's go home,"

* * *

Midoriya was on his way home when All Might surprised him and about made him jump out of his skin. It was officially summer vacation. The exams were over. It was only a matter of time before Class 1 A went to their training camp.

All Might invited Midoriya to go to I Island with him, and while Midoriya was slightly nervous about accepting the invitation, he accepted happily. He was certain he made it to his home in record time. He ran and packed his things as fast as he could. They were leaving so quickly!

He informed his mother, saying goodbye to her with a hug before he was out the door. He and All Might made their way to the private jet the hero had available. He was vibrating with excitement. They were going to I Island!

* * *

Disclaimer: I only own Ryoko Iwasaki. All other characters belong to the original creator, Horikoshi.


	8. Chapter 7

Midoriya sat next to All Might on the plane. His teacher had fallen asleep on the long flight hours ago. He didn't want to bother him, knowing the elder needed the rest, so the student went about entertaining himself. He pulled out his phone, scrolling through the varying social media sites when a post caught his eye. Ryoko had posted a link to a video, the post saying "heading on a little trip so I shot this to tide you over. Enjoy dorks!"

He clicks the link and his phone takes him to the video. "Answering Your Questions" was the title. Midoriya was greeted by Ryoko's smiling face as the video started. "What's good guys? If you're watching this the day it goes up, that means I'm on my way to I Island for I Expo." Midoriya pauses. Ryoko was going to be at I Island? "I'm making this video for you guys so that I don't go weeks without posting a video and also because I'm procrastinating packing." The camera punches in closer on her face. "I was supposed to pack yesterday." The camera punches in once more. "It's now today and I haven't done shit." Her face now takes up the entire screen as the camera zooms in once more. "Don't tell All Might."

The camera returns to it's normal setup as Ryoko laughs. "Anyway, I figured this video would be easy to do since I am supposed to be packing and I'm literally leaving in like hours." She holds her phone up, shaking it as she does. "So here we go,

"Alright, I'm just gonna answer this one first because it was the most asked question. How did you and All Might meet?" As she says the question, screenshots of varying people tweeting the same question to her appear on screen. "Time travel back eight years ago. I was an employee of Endeavor's Hero Agency and had a major addiction to coffee." She stares at the screen and blinks. As she does, words appear by her head saying "I still do, let's be real."

"There was not a single day eight years ago, where I didn't come into work with a cup of coffee. Okay, I had a problem. I still do." She laughs at herself before the video cuts to her telling the story. "But there was one night where I was up too late working on music and it caused me to oversleep and I knew I was going to be late so I said fuck the coffee and booked it to work. And this is no exaggeration when I say I walked into work literally two minutes before Endeavor came downstairs. I had a death wish." The camera punches in and Ryoko laughs again. Midoriya notices that she talks with her hands much like she does when she's onstage.

"So Endeavor sees me and he can see my empty hand and my sad, non-caffeinated self and just looks me up and down. Now, I would bring this man coffee and he pretty much asked me where his coffee was without actually asking me where it was." The camera slowly zooms in on Ryoko as she starts to mime the next part of the story. "I'm not lying when I say this man pulled out his wallet, reached in, and handed me money for his coffee and my own." The camera angle returned to normal as Ryoko looked at the camera. "This bitch does not turn down free stuff so she went 'I'll be back' and walked out the door.

"Now there's this one coffee shop that I went to everyday. As a vegan, they have great options for me so I went there. And I'm standing in line when someone taps me on my shoulder and they go, 'hey, are you Ryoko?' I turn around and _damn_ if I'm not staring face to face with All Might." She looks to the side before she looks back at the camera. "Of all the places," She starts laughing, leaning into the camera before she's sitting back up normal.

"Now I'm standing there like, All Might really knows me? For real? So I tell him, I'm like yeah, I'm Ryo and he starts telling me how much he loves my music and how great it is and how he loved the new single I dropped. Which was _Diamond Eyes_ , by the way. But then he like, _thanks_ me, for making music." Ryoko looks around, slightly shocked. "Like is this real life?"

Ryoko laughs again before she continues with the story. "But of course, I thank him for his kind words and it goes kinda quiet and so I've gotta ask," The camera punches in on her face. "Cause I swear I lost my mind at this point." The camera zooms back out. "I ask him, I'm like, are you All Might? And he says yes and I'm like," Ryoko continues to look around shocked, even more so than before. "I should be thanking you for what you do for society. Like, dude bro," The camera zooms in on Ryoko's face. "What?" It punches back out as she continues.

"Any way," Ryoko starts to smile, "We start talking but then I grab my coffee and Endeavor's, I tell All Might it was so nice to meet him and I head back to work." She points her finger at the camera. "But it doesn't stop there,

"Like a week later, I didn't bring coffee again and Endeavor is like, dude we've been over this, gives me more money and tells me to go get coffee. Bitch likes free stuff," She grabs her jacket, popping it, and Midoriya thinks he recognizes the large jacket. "So I go get coffee. I'm standing in line and I realize who's in front of me. Mister Tall, Blonde, and Handsome. So me being me, taps him on his shoulder, and goes 'hey, are you All Might?' And he turns around as he says yes, so I start thanking him for all he does and telling him how great I think he is and pretty much everything he told me, but directed back at him.

"Now, he's like grinning and laughing the entire time. Clearly, I'm flirting with him, and after I finish he goes, aren't you Ryoko?" Ryoko starts grinning, shaking her head slightly. "And I say yes, then he goes 'I should be thanking you for your music,' and tells me everything I said to him but directed back at me. So, we're in line laughing, and we get our coffee and he asks if I've got any plans and I tell him that I gotta get back to work, so we say goodbye and part ways again."

Ryoko puts a finger back up, telling her audience to wait a moment. "A few days later, I'm out running errands when I happen upon a huge building fire. Endeavor calls me and I tell him I'm already on scene so I'm going in, send back up. I head in and actually end up bumping into All Might. Together, the two of us are able to get everyone out and while the paramedics are helping, All Might approaches me and asks me on a date. I was like, _about fucking time_ , no I'm just kidding." Ryoko laughs, hand running through her hair. "I agreed and the rest is history."

She shrugs with a smile, before the video cuts and she's looking down at her phone for the next question. "What's your favorite song to perform?" Ryoko puts her phone down and looks up, letting out a sigh. "That's a hard one because I love all the music I write and when I write music I always think about how I would perform a song live so," Ryoko pauses and purses her lips together before she perks up. "Oh! Okay, so I just did a show for UA and their students and everyone went _so hard_ ," Ryoko claps her hands together twice as she talks and Midoriya catches himself smiling. "For _Ribcage_ and _We Don't Have To Dance_. So I'm going to say those two."

Red hair bops as she nods, the video cutting to her reading another question. "When are you going on tour again?" She looks up. "Only god knows dude.

"Is there a song you want to play live but haven't yet?" Ryoko looks up, eyebrows furrowing together. "Hm," She starts before she turns to the camera. "I've never played _Calling You_ live believe it or not." Ryoko pauses. Midoriya was slightly surprised. From what he understood, it was one of her most popular songs. "I would also really like to do _The Worry List_ but I can't even listen to that song without crying so performing it is probably a bad idea." She laughs.

"Does All Might have a favorite song of yours?" She rolls her eyes, her phone dropping off screen. "This son of a bitch changes his answer every goddamn day. I can't get a straight answer out of him." The camera zooms in on her face. "And honestly, I've stopped trying.

"As a UA student, how did your internship and work studies help you after you graduated?" Ryoko looks up and smiles. "Dude that's a great question." She shifts in her chair, grabbing a cup off screen to take a sip from. "Get comfy, cause I've got another story for you,

"So normally, Second and Third Year students get internship offers after the Sports Festival and occasionally First Years get offers too, and I did my internship my First Year after my Sports Festival. I got a good bit of offers because I actually tried my first year at the Festival. I knew my time with my parents were limited so I pushed myself to go as far as possible and was in like the top twenty for the one verse one battles." Ryoko pauses, looking up to think. "I wanna say I was like, number seventeen, but who cares.

"Now I did my internship with Best Jeanist, and he's a great hero and he's good at what he does." She rolls her eyes slightly. "Clearly, the man's Number Four. But anyway, him and I actually did not agree or see eye to eye on certain things so he actually offered to bring me back on for my Hero Studies and I declined." Midoriya's mouth opened as he listened to the story. "I told him, I was like dude, you're great but I can't work for you. And he was cool with it and we're actually pretty good friends now. I just can't work for the dude.

"So when it came time in my Third Year to pick where I was going to do my Hero Studies, a lot of my classmates went back to their internships and I straight up told my teacher, um yeah, no." The camera zooms in. "I'm not going back." The angle returns to normal. "But I was able to go back through my internship offers, the ones that weren't retracted, and was like," Ryoko shrugs, her eyes rolling slightly. "Everyone says I'm like Endeavor, I didn't want to intern with him because of that, but was like fuck it, let's do it.

"And I did my Hero Studies with him and he offered me a position at his agency while I was still in school and I told him that I didn't want to do field work, I'm not looking to be a top hero, I've got other things I want to do." Midoriya could see that she was trying to prevent the smile from spreading across her face, but was failing. "He didn't retract his offer, and when I graduated, he contacted me and offered me the position again and I reiterated. I was like, dude, don't wanna be a hero. This is just gonna help pay for what I wanna do with my music and he went, cool when can you start?" Ryoko looks into the camera. "I said next Tuesday.

"That was a really long ass story to basically tell you to not put all your eggs in one basket. My internship didn't really help me but my Hero Studies did." Ryoko shrugs again. Midoriya watches as she pulls her phone up again. "What's your favorite thing about All Might?" Ryoko stares into the distance as images of All Might's butt flash across the screen. Her green eyes turn to look into the camera. All she does is shrug before the video jump cuts. "I'm going to I Expo and David Shield is not only the man who created All Might's hero outfits, but one of his good friends so I plan on meeting him." Ryoko pauses. "And thanking him for his service." Another picture of All Might's butt, in his Golden Age outfit, pops up on screen. "My life is ten times better because of his work.

"Alright, last question, because I've got to pack." More screenshots begin to flood the screen as Ryoko says, "Are you and All Might going to get married?" The screenshots disappear as Ryoko starts talking, a small smile on her face. "We've talked about it and now is just not a good time for that. I am planning new music and a new album and more than likely a tour. All Might is the Number One Hero and now a teacher at UA. Let's pretend there's no League of Villains out to get him, that's a lot for two people to deal with and then add planning a wedding to that?" The camera punches in on her face. "No thank you.

"Life is just too hectic for us to sit down and properly plan a wedding right now so not any time soon." Ryoko smiles. "But if you ask All Might, I am going to eventually be his wife." The camera zooms in again. "Just not this year." The camera returns to its normal angle as Ryoko's hands come up. "Basically what I'm saying is yes, we're going to get married, but not any time soon." The camera zooms in on Ryoko once more. "That shit's expensive too.

"Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoyed this video and going down memory lane a little bit with me. I've gotta go pack before I'm late for my plane. And before anyone can ask," She stands up, hands gesturing to the large jacket she was wearing. "Yes this is All Might's jacket. He wore it when he was in America for college." She turns around to show the back, the large letters say "Plus Ultra" with flowers around it.

Ryoko's hand comes up in a piece sign. "Alright, I gotta go. Stay Frosty, friends." The screen goes black before the video ends.

Midoriya glances over at his sleeping teacher. He thoroughly enjoyed Ms Ryoko's video. He knew that Ryoko was one for privacy. Her previous videos had told him that much. She had kept so much a secret and was now beginning to slowly open up more and more. It was nice to learn about his hero's girlfriend. It allowed Midoriya to learn about All Might as well.

His head turned, looking out the plane window. His eyes go wide and a smile lights up his face. He turns to his teacher, beginning to slightly shake him to wake him up, calling his name. The elder wakes up, hand coming up to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"Something the matter, Young Midoriya?"

Midoriya presses his cheek against the plane's window. "Look! We can see it." All Might leans over to look out the window with the student. "Right there! The floating city that can move anywhere, home to over ten thousand scientists, I Island!" Midoriya grins. "I can't believe this is where I get to start summer vacation, it's so amazing!"

All Might smiles, pulling away from the window to return to his seat. "I didn't realize that you'd be this excited. I'm glad I invited you."

Midoriya blinks, thinking instantly of his teacher's girlfriend. He would have thought that Ms Ryoko would have joined All Might instead of himself. "Yeah, you're sure it's okay that I came along with you, it's not gonna be a problem?"

"Don't even think twice about it. The invitation was clear and I'm welcome to bring whoever I want as my guest." The teacher had said it as if it was nothing.

"But doesn't that usually mean a family member or-?"

All Might held up a finger and silenced the student. "I think you're forgetting that the two of us are connected by something far thicker than blood, Young Midoriya. We will forever share the bond of One For All."

Midoriya smiles, "Right!" But then the redhead crosses his mind again. "But shouldn't Ms Ryoko be here with you? I thought she was coming as well."

All Might smiles, turning back to sit comfortably in his seat. "She took Endeavor's invitation. He's not one for these kinds of things so she went in his stead." The teacher looks over at the student. "Ryo was the one who said I should bring you along. She thought it'd be a good experience for you." Midoriya catches himself grinning. To think the singer thought of him and wanted to help him made him happy.

 _Attention passengers. The plane will soon begin its descent to I-Island._

All Might stood from his chair, looking around the plane. Midoriya watches his teacher as he shifts into his muscular form. "This is going to be monumentally exhausting. Once we've landed and go out in public, I must maintain my muscle form constantly." He had a smile on his face but Midoriya knew that he had a limit. But, staring up at the smiling face of his teacher, Midoriya couldn't help but smile back. "Now, it's time for you to change as well. You did ask UA if you could bring your hero costume along with you, right?"

Midoriya grins, "Yes!" before he jumps out of his seat and heads down to the plane's restroom.

* * *

Ryoko stretched, fingers locked together as her hands extended over her head. Todoroki glanced over at her as she returned to her sitting position in the seat next to him. The two were flying on a private plane, prepared for them by Endeavor. Todoroki slid his finger into the book he was reading, just something to pass the flight time with. Still looking at the redhead, the book closes shut, Todoroki's finger holding his place. He noticed she had put her hair extensions in, the ones that faded to orange and took her hair's length to past her waist.

Ryoko glances down at her watch, pushing the sleeve of her jacket out of the way as she checks the time. She lets out a sigh before she lets go off the sleeve.

"Why are you and I going?" Todoroki catches Ryoko rolling her eyes. It wasn't directed at him, he knew this. She hated having to sit still and had done so for hours on the plane. She was getting antsy.

"Who else is gonna go for Endeavor?"

"Shouldn't you be All Might's plus one?"

A hand comes up to rub at her forehead. "That man already got an invitation of his own."

"Then why didn't he fly with us?"

Ryoko looks over at Todoroki. "You really want to spend hours on a plane with me and my boyfriend?" Todoroki and Ryo stare at each other for a moment before he turns back to his book, popping the cover open. Ryoko smirks slightly, something Todoroki doesn't have to see to know she does, as she returns to her seat. As she does, the pilot announces that the plane will be landing shortly. Ryoko's head rolls back.

"Thank _fuck_!"

* * *

Midoriya and All Might entered the island, the student's eyes lighting up once they made it inside. He had only ever read about the place, never seen it before. He was ecstatic to be at I Island and with his favorite hero no less!

All Might glances down at his phone, trying to find the location of their hotel when they hear a voice behind the hero. "Hey, are you All Might?" Midoriya knows who the voice belongs to even before his teacher shifts to look behind him. Ryoko is looking up at All Might with a smile.

Midoriya's eyes are drawn to Ryoko's hair, noticing how it was much longer than any other time he had seen her in person. It fell down her back in waves, going past her waist. As it went down, it faded from her vibrant red to a bright orange. Actually, he had seen her with this hair in her music video for _I Want It_.

The sound of the hero's laughs pulls Midoriya from his thoughts. All Might looks down at his girlfriend. "Yes, I am."

Ryoko brings a hand up, placing it over her heart as she continues to smile up at him. "I just want to thank you for everything you do, like," She gestures to the hero. "You're so amazing and you're my favorite hero and words cannot express how thankful I am for everything that you do."

All Might is laughing, Ryoko beginning to laugh with him. "Aren't you Ryoko?"

Her smile widens, "Yeah, I am."

"Well, I should be thanking you for everything you do! Your music is absolutely incredible. You're so talented! A lyrical genius!" Midoriya can't help but smile as he watches the two. After watching Ryoko's video on the plane, he knows this is how they first met. Even after eight years, the two still remember and repeat that moment.

Ryoko's laugh dies down as the two stare at each other, smiling. "Hey, Big Cat," she says, quieter than before.

"Welcome to I Expo!" The three turn around, seeing an employee come up and greet them. The employee pauses, eyes landing on All Might. "Is that you All Might?!" Midoriya catches, out of the corner of his eye, Ryoko roll her eyes as everyone in the area begins to realize that the Number One Hero was there. Ryoko reaches out and grabs Midoriya's arm, people beginning to flock to the hero.

"Don't lose me," She says, green eyes meeting his own eyes. He can only nod before he begins to get jostled around by the swarm of people. Midoriya glances up, seeing Ryoko getting pushed around by people. There were fans, employees, and even some people with cameras.

Midoriya could see the panic on Ms Ryoko's face. He recalled the videos where she would talk about her anxiety, telling her viewers that the only way she was able to perform onstage was because there was a clear divide of the crowd of people and her. Midoriya takes his arm out of her grasp before he quickly grabs her hand. She glances down at him and gives him a small smile.

"Ryo!" Red hair pops up and Midoriya can see her empty hand extend in the direction of the voice. Suddenly, Ryoko, along with Midoriya, are dragged to the middle of the crowd. Ryoko looks up, inches from her boyfriend's face. She gives him a small smile, cameras flashing. Ryoko turns her head, looking around for a moment before the crowd begins to disappear.

The crowd disperses, leaving Ryoko, holding both All Might and Midoriya's hand. Midoriya glances over and realizes he's still holding her hand. He lets go quickly. Ryoko only glances down at the boy before she looks up at All Might.

"What time were you meeting your friend?"

Midoriya looks at the couple, confused. "Huh?"

"Ah!" The hero says, turning to the student. "I wanted to drop in on a dear old pal of mine who I haven't seen in quite a while. Sorry to spring it on you but would you mind coming along?" Midoriya smiles and agrees to join them, Ryoko smiling at him as All Might leans over to the student. "By the way, I haven't told him about One For All or how I passed the Quirk onto you, so keep everything under wraps okay?"

The student loses his smile. "Whoa, not even your close friend knows?"

All Might stands up straight, still smiling down at his successor. "Only because danger tends to follow anyone who knows the truth about my power."

Ryoko shrugs, standing next to him. "Or something like that," She glances up at All Might, his smile turning to be pointed at the redhead. Midoriya knew, from the first time he met Ryoko, that she knew about One For All. How could she not? With how close the singer was to his teacher, and how important she was, Midoriya knew that there was no secrets between them.

In the distance, the group can hear the sound of something bouncing against the ground. Ryoko turns, the other two following suit. All Might's smile widens as they see a blonde bouncing their way to the group.

"There you are, Uncle! Finally!" All Might releases Ryoko's hand and steps forward, catching the blonde in a hug as she leaps at him. Ryoko steps back, avoiding the legs that were swinging around. "Welcome, Uncle Might!"

"It's so good to see you, Melissa!" The two blondes are laughing. Ryoko glances down to look at Midoriya. Seeing a shocked look on his face, it took everything in her being to not laugh at the poor child.

"Oh my gosh, it's been forever! I can't believe you're actually here!"

"I'm truly grateful for the invitation! I almost didn't recognize you. When did you go and get so grown up?" Ryoko knew what All Might was talking about. She had seen the pictures of the little blonde child. She was nearly the same height as Ryoko.

"Well, I am seventeen now, ya know." Ryoko feels her eyebrow twitch. Seventeen and she was almost the same height as Ryoko, at twenty eight. The redhead almost felt cheated. "Much heavier than the last time you saw me." All Might laughs and easily lifts her up higher before he puts her down on the ground. Ryoko walks over to them, leaving a confused Midoriya behind.

"You're Melissa?" She asks, the blonde nodding. "Well, it's nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

"It's nice to meet you as well, Ms Ryoko!" A hand comes up, telling the girl to call her Ryo. "I never was able to tell you, but I really love your music! Uncle Might sent me a couple of your cds that you signed for my birthday a few years back."

An eyebrow raises as Ryoko turns to look up at All Might. Midoriya could see she was confused but something clicks and her mouth opens as she turns back to Melissa. "Oh, you're that Melissa?!" The girl nods, smiling at Ryo as she was recognized. "Damn, yeah, I forgot about that! I'm happy to hear you liked that."

Midoriya watches the three interact. There was no way this girl could be All Might's friend. He thought it was maybe her Quirk that made her look so young, but that didn't seem right.

All Might looks around, "And Dave? Where's he hiding?"

"Oh, he's in his lab," Melissa states, pulling the hero's attention back to her. "He had a breakthrough on some research he's been focusing on for years. Actually, he has no idea you're even here. This is just a little surprise to celebrate his work."

"So that's what this is about?"

"I sure do love surprises," Ryoko mutters, but only All Might catches this, a hand extending out to rest on the small of her back. Her eyes roll slightly as they glance up at the hero.

All Might turns to Midoriya. "Oh right, Young Midoriya. Allow me to introduce you to my friend Dave's daughter,"

"It's really nice to meet you. I'm Melissa Shield!" She says, extending a hand to shake. Midoriya introduces himself, shaking her hand. Ryoko and All Might watch the two students interact, the redhead turning to the hero.

"We going to meet your friend now?" She asks, her voice quiet so the younger two don't hear.

"That was going to be the plan." All Might pauses. "Is something wrong?"

Ryoko smiles slightly. She couldn't slide anything past All Might. Eight years together and the two were an open book. The redhead should have known he'd pick up on her question before she even asked it.

Before Ryoko can say anything, Melissa runs past the couple, grabbing the device she used to travel and made it shrink. She slid it into her pocket before she motioned for everyone to follow her. "This way!" They head to the Professor's office. When they arrive, Melissa tells the group to wait outside so they could surprise her father. It was no surprise to Ryoko that All Might burst into the room, shouting his ever famous "I am here!" He said something else but the redhead couldn't hear it. She was laughing too hard.

Ryoko enters the room, followed behind by Midoriya. The redhead watches with a smile as her boyfriend lifts the man in the air, spinning him around in a hug before he puts him down. She begins to walk over to the two as they laugh about their age.

"I could make a joke about age, but I don't know you well enough for that." All Might turns, letting Dave see the woman.

"Ah, you must be Ryoko." Dave says, extending his hand to shake hers. She takes his hand.

"The one and only."

"I've heard a lot about you from All Might. It's nice to finally meet you."

Ryoko smiles, "Likewise, dude." Midoriya watches as Dave lets go of her left hand, eyeing it as he does though. Ryoko brings her hand back up and stretches it out. It's then that Midoriya can see a tattoo on her ring finger of her left hand. It looks like music notes on a musical staff, it going down the entire length of her finger. He knew about the music notes across her knuckles on her right hand, but had never seen this tattoo before.

"What's that?"

Ryoko looks at it for a moment before she looks up at the scientist. "I wrote a song called _Calling You_ for All Might and I's first anniversary." She wiggles her ring finger. "This is the chord."

Dave smiles, looking up at All Might. "She wrote you a song and tattooed it on her body. I think she's a keeper."

"Oh, this isn't the only tattoo I have for All Might." All attention turns back to the redhead, Dave asking what else she has. Ryoko can only smirk. "I have his signature on my ass." All Might coughs, Dave blinks, and so does Midoriya. Midoriya wasn't sure if he wanted to know the story behind that tattoo.

All Might turns, remembering the student in the doorway. Ryoko turns as well, moving to stand across from the hero so All Might could introduce Dave. "Young Midoriya, let me introduce you to someone incredible, David Shiel-"

"I know him!" Ryoko raises an eyebrow, eyeing the energetic boy as his fists clench in excitement. "Professor David Shield! A top scientist in the research world who received a Nobel Quirk Prize!"

Ryoko's head tilts, a smirk crossing her lips. "He is a fanboy."

"He was All Might's partner when he lived in America, and he's a genius when it comes to costumes! All Might's "Young Age," "Bronze Age," the "Silver Age," and of course the "Golden Age!" He's the inventor who created each of those iconic looks! I never thought I'd get to meet him in real life!" Ryoko brings her hand up to her face, a finger running across her bottom lip as she tries to keep from laughing out loud. She had heard about the nature of the boy and his _interest_ in heroes. She didn't think he could spit out a Wikipedia article on someone.

Midoriya inches his way over to the group of adults, a large grin on his face as he does. "I'm just so moved!" Midoriya says and Melissa can't help but to giggle a little.

Dave smiles, "It seems I don't have to introduce myself."

"Honestly All Might," Ryoko turns and taps her boyfriend's chest with the back of her hand. "Should've just left him to the introductions." The redhead turns back to see the boy bowing and apologizing. Dave forgives him, Ryoko's eyes being pulled away from the student up to All Might at the sound of his cough. It was low, but it was something she had picked up on over the years.

"Listen, it's been a long time. Can the two of you give All Might and me a little time to catch up?" Dave asks the two teenagers. Ryoko turns to look at the professor, the man glancing over at her. She simply continues to stare, the other man clenching his jaw as she does. A small nod is given in his direction, before she turns and looks at the kids again.

Midoriya agrees, Dave asking his daughter to show the student around the Island. Melissa agrees, gesturing for Midoriya to follow her, which he does happily. Ryoko turns to look at All Might and Dave. "I'm gonna join these nerds. Who knows when boss man will let me come back here," She starts to leave, All Might quickly reaching out to grasp her hand. She turns, a smile on her face as he presses a quick kiss to her cheek.

She's still smiling when he pulls away, "I'm coming back," She tells him, walking backwards and releasing his hand as she does. Ryoko grins at him, arms coming up in a shrug. "You can't get rid of me that easily," She laughs, turning and heading out the door with a wink and a wave, moving to catch up with the kids.

Melissa begins taking them around the island, both Midoriya and Ryoko looking around as she does. Midoriya looks around at all the heroes, Ryoko doing so as well. She sees a group of kids off to the side. They couldn't have been older than Midoriya. Ryo notices how the four of them are huddled together, whispering to one another and looking at her. She slowly brings a hand up, waving at them and gives them a small smile. The shortest girl grins and eagerly waves back, causing Ryoko to laugh. She turns her head slightly more, catching someone pushing another out of the corner of her eye.

"Dude, just go ask her!"

"No!"

Ryoko can tell they're trying to be quiet, but clearly failing. The two guys look up, locking eyes with the singer. The one being pushed freezes. A hand comes up, giving them a thumbs up as she mouths, "ya good?" The two boys nod, causing Ryoko to smile, before they both begin to walk over to her. She turns to face them as they do.

"Um, hi Ms Ryoko," The one starts. He's nervous and Ryoko can see he's gripping a CD in his hands. From what she can see, it looks like her first album. "Um, I-I'm sorry to, to interrupt, but I j-just wanted," He pauses, eyes still downcast. "Just wanted to tell you I'm a big, big fan of yours." Ryoko smiles at him. She understands how nervous he is. She was this way when she first met Ingenium. "And, um, I was wondering, well, if it's okay-"

"He wants to see if you'll sign his album." The shy boy whips around, telling the other to shush. Ryoko simply sticks her hand out, causing the boy to look back at her.

"Ya got a marker?" He nods, eagerly pulling it out of his pocket and handing it over with the album. Ryoko was right, it was her first album. "Geez, this is ancient," She says, uncapping the marker. "What's your name?"

"Benny,"

"That sounds like a guitarist's name. You play?" The boy shakes his head, Ryoko beginning to scribble across the front of the album. "Aw, bummer, dude. Pick something up. I'm sure you've got mad talent." She hands the album back to him, Benny eagerly taking the album and reading the personalized note Ryoko wrote him. His friend peeks over his shoulder to read, both boys grinning ear to ear. She goes to cap the marker when she turns, a little girl and her mother inching closer to her.

"Excuse me, Ms Ryoko,"

"If you guys don't start calling me Ryo," She starts, hands coming up to gesture to the small crowd that was beginning to form. They tried to be sneaky, but Ryoko watched it happen.

"Sorry, Ryo," The mother starts, the little girl walking over to her. "She's a big fan of your music and was hoping to meet you,"

Ryoko crouches down, eyeing the little girl. She looked five years old, Ryoko smiling at her. "Now, why on earth do you listen to my music?"

"It makes me want to dance,"

Ryoko grins, "You and me both, kid," The mother asks if she can take a picture of the two. Ryoko agrees, motioning for the girl to come over to her. As she does, Ryoko notices the All Might shirt. "I like your shirt," She says, the little girl thanking her. Ryoko looks up at the camera. "He's a big dork," She smiles, a peace sign coming up as the little girl grins wide. She stands up, waving goodbye to the mother and her daughter.

Midoriya turns and suddenly, he sees Ryoko is surrounded. He notices, though, that Ryoko is laughing and smiling, talking with the crowd as she gives autographs and the occasional picture. It's nothing like the crowd with All Might from earlier. The fans of Ryoko are much more respectful of her personal space, asking kindly and giving thanks. Midoriya notices a reporter with a camera, circling the edge of the crowd.

"Ryoko, are you going to the industry party tonight?"

"Yeah, dude!" She calls, still signing someone's CD as she speaks. "I got a hot date tonight and I can't ghost him like that." She laughs, signing the last few autographs before the crowd disperses, the redhead rejoining the two teenagers. She puts her hands on her hips, glancing down at the two before she speaks. "I'm gonna take a nap," She states, nodding as she glances between the two. "I need beauty sleep if I'm going to a fancy party later."

Melissa and Midoriya nod, the blonde giving her instructions to the hotel room before they wave goodbye to her. She manages to find the hotel and her room easily. Because they came on two separate invitations, she was alone in her room. All Might receiving his own. Ryoko knew they wouldn't stay separated for long. It was only a matter of who snuck out of their room first.

She falls onto her bed, laying on her back. Hands come up to rub her face. She had felt nauseous before her and Todoroki even stepped foot on the plane. She really just wanted to empty her stomach in hopes of feeling better. She pushed the thoughts to the side, shedding her leather jacket and boots before climbing under the covers. A nap was in her immediate future. She'd deal with the rest after that.

* * *

All Might waited outside the party, not wanting to enter without Ryoko. Besides, they agreed to meet outside the party and walk in together. The Number One Hero stood in his Golden Age hero outfit, waiting for his girlfriend. The sounds of footsteps brought him out of his trance, his hands absentmindedly attempting to smooth out a nonexistent wrinkle. He knew his girlfriend was going to be dressed to the nines and he wanted to look good for her, nonexistent wrinkles be damned.

His head turns, looking down the hallway and he swears his heart stops for a moment. There she was, walking towards him. She was dressed in a black dress. The top bodice had pieces of fabric crossing over each other, clinging to her chest perfectly. The sleeves went straight across, leaving her shoulders bare, though her red and orange curls hung over them. Her waist looked exceptionally tiny as the dressed was fitted like a glove. The bottom of the dress was sheer, completely see through as All Might could see the black pair of underwear she was wearing. It flowed around her like smoke as she walked. Simple black heels were on her feet and, even as she stumbled and tried to play it off, All Might swore he fell in love with her all over again in that moment.

She stops before him, All Might noticing how much fuller and curlier her hair was. He can see the glitter on her eyes and the false lashes and notices just how much makeup she was wearing. He loved seeing what her creative hands could paint on her own face.

She smiles up at him, "Hey there,"

"You're beautiful," All Might breathes the words out instantly, causing Ryoko's smile to widen, turning away from him. His hand instinctively comes up and pulls her to look back at him. She smiles at him.

Her hands come up to rest against his chest, running down his chest slightly. "We should talk later," She says, green eyes following her hands before she looks up at him.

"Okay," He tells her, Ryoko beginning to walk past him. "About what?" He asks, his body turning to follow the redhead, Ryoko turning to look at him. She only snaps her finger, giving him a finger gun before she continues walking, turning away from him. In just a few long steps, he catches up to her, his hand immediately going for hers. Ryoko turns, smiling up at him as she moves her hand up, linking it in his elbow.

As the two enter the party, they can see all the varying heroes and sponsors and scientists mingling and interacting. Ryoko immediately grabs a glass of champagne as a waiter walks by them. All Might smiles down at her, keeping his voice low for only her to hear. "You're not nervous are you?"

"What me no never," She says quickly, almost tipping the entire glass back. "Not like it's our first public outing as a couple." All Might knew she was right. The final exams for the students most definitely didn't count and her performance at UA was just that, _her_ performance. The two had yet to step out into the public eye together. Well, until tonight that is.

The hero doesn't say anything, simply taking his other hand and patting her own. He can feel her relax slightly.

His eyes see his old friend, walking towards them. Ryoko lifts her glass as Dave approaches and All Might smiles wider. The three begin to chat, All Might eventually pulling his phone out and asking his friend to take a few pictures of Ryoko and himself. The redhead tries to blow him off, but he's not having it. He wanted at least one picture to commemorate their first outing as a couple.

Not long after, the announcer is asking All Might to say a toast. The crowd begins to give him a round of applause to get him onstage. Dave merely smiles at All Might as the hero tells his friend he didn't know this was going to happen. Ryoko rolls her eyes. All Might knows it's only because she has fake eyelashes on. He remembers her telling him that it made her feel much more sassy than she already was.

"This was bound to happen once they found out you were in town."

"You shouldn't even be surprised," Ryoko tells him. He can only smile wider, leaning down to press a kiss to Ryoko's temple before he heads for the stage.

The hero looks at his friend, pointing, "You owe me one."

He's onstage for barely a minute before the screen behind him goes red, large letters spelling out the word "emergency." Ryoko finishes her drink, her eyes turning to her boyfriend on the stage. An eyebrow can only raise as the two lock eyes.

"This is an announcement from the I Island security system. We have received a report that an explosive device was discovered somewhere on the I Expo grounds. I Island will now be in high alert mode. Your safety is our top priority."

As the automatic voice continued to speak, Ryoko's mind begins to whirl. An explosive device somewhere in the Expo area. That didn't give a lot of information, but as the voice continued to tell people to return to their homes, she figured it was probably for their safety.

Ryoko immediately thinks of Midoriya, Melissa, and Todoroki. All three were somewhere on the Island. The redhead turns to look at David.

"Where's your daughter?" He turns to look at her, slightly wide eyed. Before he can say anything, the doors to the party room open. People with guns and masks on enter the room, the mass inside beginning to panic.

"In case you haven't caught on," Ryoko's head turns, seeing a man with red hair and a metal mask entering the room. "The security system is under our control now. I know we got a lot of heroes in here, but if you decide to make a scene," Ryoko's fists tighten, taking a premeditated step backwards. She doesn't look away from the villain that entered the room, her mind already moving as she begins to think through her options.

The villain continues, the screens changing to show the security robots surrounding citizens in varying locations. Ryoko grits her teeth as he talks. "I'll make sure the security sentries think the good people they got in their sights are dangerous criminals.

"So, I'd play nice. Because everyone on this island are my hostage. Naturally, that includes all of you." All Might turns from the large screen behind him to turn to the villains. The smile was gone from his face. His eyes shifted to see his girlfriend and friend, standing in the middle of the room. Suddenly, he's trapped. His body is wrapped together tightly by one of the restraining devices the island had built into the floor.

Ryoko looks around. Every person dressed in their hero outfit was restrained. She was still free. They didn't know she was a hero. She could use this to her advantage. The thought stops as she turns, eyes landing on a restrained All Might. "Toshi," She mutters, beginning to push past people to get to him. A gunshot stopped her.

All Might froze as well, his eyes turning to watch the villain as he walked onstage. "Don't move. If you take so much as a step, I'll kill everyone in this room." Ryoko frowns and her fists tighten as she watches the villain kick All Might to the ground. "You're gonna follow All Might's lead and do whatever I say, right?" Ryoko can only continue to frown as she and the other guests are forced to sit on the ground.

The villain continued to walk around while his comrades held their guns and were spaced out in the room. Ryoko glances over at All Might. She stares at him for a moment before her attention is pulled away from her. The villain is speaking to Dave and his assistant. The villain ultimately takes both of them, walking them out at gunpoint. Her mouth opens slightly, turning back to look at All Might. He looks upset, and rightfully so. Ryoko's mind begins to race as she tries to find a solution to their problem.

The party guests were sitting there for what felt like hours, but Ryoko knew it had only been a small window of time. There were too many villains around for Ryoko to try and aid All Might, but should she manage to escape-

Her head turns as she can hear the villain talking over his radio. She watches as he sends two villains out. Her head whips to look at All Might. Immediately, he's shaking her head but she can only give a small smile. She stands up.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Ryoko turns around, looking at the redhead villain.

"What?" Her hands come up with a shrug, feigning ignorance.

"Stop what you're doing!" She was walking backwards, taking small steps.

"What do you mean?" She asks again, hands still up as the villain lifts his gun in the air, pointed to the ceiling.

"I said-!" He pulls the trigger, Ryoko's hand instantly extending outwards to catch and pull the fire towards her. She wills it to grow bigger as she turns and runs, heading for the stage All Might was on. She creates a platform for herself, using it to launch herself up and through the glass window that was above the stage. She uses the fire to wrap around herself as she rolls out of the break, ensuring there was no injuries to herself from the glass. Ryoko turns around, two middle fingers coming up to flash at the villain, tongue sticking out as she begins to run backwards.

From what Ryoko knew about the place, she needed to go up. Every action movie she had ever seen also told her that. It would be her luck that she was so close to the ground and the building had hundreds of floors. At least she was wearing her comfiest heels.

Ryoko continued to run, eventually sliding to a halt as shutters began to close in varying places in the hallway. Within seconds, she was locked in. She was thankful she had kept some of the fire from the gunshot, the tiny flame barely enough to cover her palm now. She presses her palm against the metal and wills the flame to grow hotter and hotter. She can feel the sweat beginning to form on her body, but she can also feel the metal melting. It continues to melt beneath her hand until a hole large enough for Ryo to squeeze past is open. She's through and can see an emergency exit stairwell. She lets out a sigh and heads for the door. She did miss her exercise because of the trip. Up she went.

* * *

Disclaimer: I only own Ryoko Iwasaki. All other characters belong to Horikoshi. Diamond Eyes belongs to Shinedown. Ribcage and We Don't Have to Dance belong to Andy Black. I Want It belongs to Blue October.


	9. Chapter 8

Ryo continued to run upwards. She made it to the eightieth floor before the stairs didn't go up anymore. She grits her teeth, exiting the stairway with a push of her shoulder. Ryoko still held flames in one of her hands, using the back of her empty hand to wipe away the sweat on her brow. She had hardly used her quirk but she could already feel herself beginning to overheat. Running up eighty flights of stairs didn't help that.

She's in the hallway, looking around as she continues to walk. As she pushes her through varying shutters, she comes across one that is held up by massive shards of ice. Her mind instantly takes her to Todoroki. She climbs up and over it, careful not to fall. Once she lands on the other side, she sees a door that was broken open. Walking inside, Ryoko takes in the sight of a plant factory.

Continuing along, she sees a villain trapped in ice and another passed out cold on the floor. She can only smirk as she walks past them. She makes it to the other side, the door blown out here as well. Her eyes look up at the emergency ladder that was pulled down. One hand latches onto it and she begins to ascend up.

Her mind takes her to the kids, knowing full well they did this. She was constantly baffled by Todoroki and his quirk, knowing that he was learning and growing each day. She knew all about Midoriya's quirk. She was well versed with what he could do. She didn't know of Melissa's quirk, but she was a brilliant young girl. Ryoko knew the three of them weren't going to sit back while villains took over.

She steps off the ladder and continues her ascent up the varying floors. As she does, Ryoko notices the shutters were up, allowing her to pass. She knew it wasn't for her. The kids were ahead of her and giving the villains problems. While she didn't mean to follow the kids' path, she was glad she was. If she could catch up to them and ensure they were safe, then the four of them as a group could finish everything.

Ryoko makes it to the one hundred and thirtieth floor, pausing to lean against a wall. She was trying to catch her breath, eyes closed as a hand goes over her stomach. She felt nauseous again, mixed with an oncoming headache and a cramp in her side, it was a beautiful recipe for disaster. She didn't have time to think about it, however, as she pushed herself off of the wall and continued to run. All she could think about was catching up with the kids.

She makes it to the one hundred and thirty eighth floor. She tries to tell herself that there isn't many floors left, to keep herself running, but even she can't lie to herself. She tried to be positive, she failed.

She continues to run, entering a hallway and her eyes go wide. She sees Midoriya and Melissa, along with six of their classmates. In front of them is a sea of security robots. The students were frozen before them.

"Duck!" She yells, the kids turning and doing as she says. She launches herself over them, taking the fire in her hands and forcing it bigger. She throws the large and hot flames at the robots melting and burning a good portion of them. The ones behind the first line of defense continue to try and move, but Ryoko managed to buy them some time. She turns around looking at the kids.

"You're all here?!" The kids look around among themselves and Ryoko realizes, Todoroki isn't with them. "Where's Sho?" She asks but the whirring noises of the robots behind her pulls her attention.

"Ms Ryoko!" Iida calls, putting down a student that he had on his back. "Please take Melissa and Midoriya and see if you can find a different route!"

"What are you gonna do?" She asks, watching as he widens his feet and prepares to fight. She realizes, however, that not only is she talking to Ingenium's younger brother, but he's a hero course student at UA. Her head turns, watching as Midoriya, Melissa, and Ochako run the way she came. She turns back to Iida, face stern. "Don't be stupid." She runs past the students, catching up with the other three.

The four begin to run, Ryoko's mind pulling her towards Todoroki. She tries not to worry, knowing he could take of himself perfectly fine. But that doesn't cease her concern.

They can hear an explosion behind them, the building shaking slightly. Midoriya stops running and looks behind him. Ryoko runs past him, ruffling his hair as she does. "Knees to chest, knees to chest!" She calls, the students continuing to run behind her. "We're getting our exercise for the week in, kids, let's go!"

Melissa takes them outside to the wind power generator system. The wind takes Ryoko's hair and skirt and blows it around, her hand coming up to push her hair back. The one day she doesn't have a hair tie on her, she's up over one hundred floors in the air.

"There are more robots in the tower. Probably just waiting there, for a chance to ambush us." Melissa tells the group, looking up as she does.

"Smart." Is all Ryoko says as she follows the girl. They stop, looking up at the emergency exit they needed to reach. Melissa asked Ochako to use her quirk on them, allowing them to float up to the exit. Because Ochako had a limit, she told the group that she would send Midoriya and Melissa up together first. Then once they were safely by the exit, Ryoko would be next. The redhead only gave a thumbs up to the plan.

Ryoko watches as the two students begin to go through the air. Her hands are on her hips as she continues to try and catch her breath. She was fatigued, she knew that. She never took naps but required one today. The thoughts were ripped from her mind as her and Ochako turned, security robots beginning to come out of the opposite door they entered from. Ryoko steps in front of the student. She planned on protecting her. Without Ochako, the students would not make it up to the emergency exit and everything was for naught.

The flames she had earlier from the gunshot were gone. They disappeared when she threw it at the robots. She would have to create her own flames and, given how tired and worn out she already was, would probably do her in. Regardless, she couldn't think of that. She began to create her own fire, a small spark going off in the palm of her hand. The sparks continued, beginning to build as Ryoko grit her teeth.

Before her sparks could grow into large flames, Bakugo appeared from her left, launching his own attack at the robots. She turns, Ochako following, a grin crossing the redhead's face as Kirishima and Todoroki ran over to them.

"Fuck yeah!" Ryoko shouts, grinning down at the students. The three students immediately joined the fight against the robots, but a gust of wind from the generators pushed the Midoriya and Melissa off course.

Bakugo was able to bend one of the fans in the direction of the students, Todoroki using his flames to propel them back onto their course. Ryoko watched as Midoriya smashed a hole into the wall, getting the two of them inside the tower. The redhead grins, turning to Todoroki.

"Hey!" She calls and instantly the student knows what is being asked of him. Flames wrap around his left arm and he reaches out, the two high fiving. As they do, Ryoko steals his flames, the fire now wrapping itself around her arm. She wills it from her arm, down to her feet, her mind beginning to think of what she needed to do. She needed to get up to where Midoriya and Melissa were but using Ochako's quirk would take too long. Ryoko needed to be with them as quick as she could be. So, she decided to steal a move she'd seen her boss do numerous times.

Todoroki watches as Ryoko jumps back and forth, the flames covering her shoes and ankles, beginning to hype herself up. "Can't be so bad, right?" She asks him, a grin crossing her lips. "If Endeavor can do, then so can I, right?" He catches the fact that she's asking questions. She was nervous but Todoroki knew that wasn't going to stop her. He watches as she releases a held breath before running at the large pillar that held the turbines. The fire on her feet creates holds in the pillar as she uses them to get her way to the top. Todoroki could tell she was nervous, his eyes never leaving her as she ran up the side. Once she was in the building with Midoriya and Melissa, Todoroki turned back to the security robots.

It was a weird feeling. Ryoko had never used her quirk like this before but she had seen Endeavor use it numerous times before. It felt like she was trying to run through mud, the flames melting the metal and her foot digging into it, sliding backwards before she could get a grip with her feet and move ahead. Finally, she made it on top of the wind machines, running across it and willing the flames to not burn the surface she was on.

Her speed began to pick up, watching as a villain with swords for arms pushed Midoriya out of the hole in the wall. He was able to catch himself, but the villain was going to make sure he didn't interfere. As the man brought his arm upwards, Ryoko launched herself into the opening, spinning herself around to deliver a kick to the side of his head. It sent him flying, back into the stairs and left him unconscious.

Ryoko landed, instantly turning and grabbing Midoriya's hands to pull him back inside. Ryoko shifts her hand, placing it on one of Midoriya's shoulders as she turns to Melissa. The girl was eying a cut she had received from the villain, but she was torn from that as Ryoko grabbed her shoulder as well. The redhead pulled the kids in for a mock group huddle.

"We're not done yet, heroes," She looks between the two, catching the smile and determination in their eyes. "There's some unfinished business to attend to." The two kids nod at her, the three of them standing and beginning to run up the stairs.

They made it to the top floor, Midoriya avoiding the bullets and knocking the two villains that were shooting at them out. Ryoko, out of breath again, smiles at Midoriya before they continue to run. Melissa then begins to lead them to the control room, the three peeking around a corner. They notice David Shield inside the room, Melissa and Midoriya shocked while Ryoko's eyebrows knit together. She knew that he was taken but in the storage room of all places?

The three begin to make their way inside, listening as David and his assistant, Sam, talk.

"Just like we planned. And it looks like the villains are holding things down."

"Thank you. I couldn't have done any of this without your help, Sam."

David began to run up the stairs to his assistant, the two freezing when Melissa calls out to her father. The professor turns, Ryoko's jaw clenching as the three stare at him.

"What does he mean that it's "like you planned it"?" Melissa asks, beginning to walk towards her father. "Don't tell me that you're the one behind this? This was all you? Just to steal something? No, it can't be true!"

Ryoko frowns, beginning to walk over to Melissa and Midoriya when David admits that he was behind it. Her fists clench and she stands protectively in front of the kids, Sam trying to explain why they did it. To get back what was stolen from David.

"That is no excuse and you goddamn know it." Ryoko says, the two men turning to her. "What does that device do?"

Sam, almost frantic, holds the box outwards as if to show Ryoko. "It can amplify quirks."

"Wait is that even possible?" Midoriya asks and instantly Ryoko knows what David was trying to do. Ryoko and David lock eyes, Ryoko's own swirling with anger as Sam explains their plan. They hired mock villains to scare the island and then steal back the research and invention. Ryoko shakes her head as Sam finishes.

"You and I both know that's stupid." The students turn to look at Ryoko. Midoriya had only seen her this angry once and that was in Hosu City when they fought the Hero Killer. "He would never use that device-."

"I had to try-!"

"By doing this?!" Ryoko shouts, an arm sweeping outwards as she does. Silence passes over the storage room. "All Might is captured downstairs, these kids fought for their lives, your _daughter_ was put in the middle of this!"

"Why?" Melissa questions, repeating the word many times before David speaks.

"I had to for All Might. You two probably aren't aware of this, but his Quirk is disappearing. However, if he uses this device then he'll be his old self. No, his abilities will be stronger than they were!"

"Oh, quite trying to live in the past, are you stupid?" All eyes turn to Ryoko as she shakes her head, her face twisted with disgust. "You should be _ashamed_ of yourself."

"They risked their lives!" Melissa shouts, showing her father the cut she had received in climbing to the top floor. "Deku and Ryo and his classmates went through so much! Do you know how dangerous this was?! How hard we were trying to save everyone on the island?!"

David's eyes widened, turning to Sam. "No, what do you mean? The villains are fake… it's all supposed to be an act."

"Of course, it was a performance." Everyone's head turns, seeing the red headed villain from the party. Ryoko curses under her breath, stepping in front of the kids. "But the real act was pretending we weren't criminals," Midoriya begins to activate his Quirk, but before Ryoko can stop him, the villain places his hand on the door. Metal begins to shift around and pins Midoriya against the wall. Ryoko stands still, Melissa running to Midoriya as the villain walks over to the staircase. "Sam, hand it over." The assistant grabs the case from David's hand, Ryoko turning to look up at David.

He was played.

Ryoko's eyes go back and forth between the professor and his assistant, her eyes going wide as she watches the villain shoot Sam in the shoulder. She tenses, watching as the villain raises the gun again. Before she can react, David is in front of Sam, taking the bullet.

Her feet move first, a hand coming up to try and grab the gun from behind the villain's back. He pulls his hand away before he takes his elbow and drives it into Ryoko's stomach. Instantly, she doubles over, a sharp pain shooting through her body. She falls to her knees before she collapses on her side. Tears prick at her eyes as she curls in on herself, the pain in her abdomen shooting out, down her legs and up into her chest. She was shaking, the pain causing her to contract. She had been surrounded by fire, but this pain was far, far worse. Still, she tried to get up.

"Ryoko Iwasaki, All Might's big and bad girlfriend." Ryoko was back on her hands and knees, tears streaming down her face, blurring her vision. She could feel the blood dripping down her thighs as she grit her teeth together. "Didn't think you'd go down as easy as _that_." Pain shoots through Ryoko again as the villain's foot connects in the same area she was elbowed. The force pushes her backwards, rolling until she was on her side again.

The pain was unbearable. She was having contractions practically every second. The blood didn't cease to flow down her legs just as the tears didn't stop. She couldn't make the tears stop. Why couldn't she stop crying?

Her legs felt like pudding, as she rolled onto her stomach, bringing her knees up. Ryoko couldn't stand up yet, using her elbows to keep herself propped up. She felt a laugh burst from her throat, her head coming up to look around. The villains were gone, so was Melissa. The room had been shifted, the villain with the Quirk to manipulate metal clearly at fault. She could hear someone to her right, were they calling her name?

Ryoko's head turns, seeing Midoriya. He was beaten and he looked concerned. Finally, she came to her senses.

"Ms Ryoko, are you okay?"

She tries to push herself up again, her legs still not working. At least she could feel the blood flow was slowing. "Y-yeah, I'm okay," Ryoko can feel Midoriya's hands hovering over her, too afraid to touch her.

"Were you shot too?"

"No," She says through gritted teeth, shifting to put her hip on the ground, beginning to sit up. "I'm okay," Midoriya can tell she's not, though, as her voice cracked when she said it.

"Ms Ryoko," He pauses, eyes travelling to her legs. "There's blood all over your thighs and legs," Her head turns, a painful smile crossing her lips. The worst of it was at her thighs, small rivers had made it down to her calves. She could feel the tiniest amount in her right shoe. "Ms Ryoko-"

Ryoko shifts, her sweaty hands coming up to grip Midoriya's face. He can see the black makeup that ran down her face, the glitter across her cheeks that was not supposed to be there. Her makeup was splotchy and ruined, she looked nothing like the confident Ryoko he had seen so many times.

"I'm having a miscarriage." Midoriya's eyes go wide. The tears don't cease to fall from Ryoko's eyes as she gives him another smile. Midoriya can see the smudged lipstick on the corner of her mouth. "Listen to me, okay, please listen." She pauses, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Go follow the villains. I will be right behind you."

"But-"

"Go." She states, giving him a smile. All Midoriya can see is pain. He nods frantically before he gets up and runs after the villains.

He leaves and Ryoko's head falls, sobbing harder. She clenches her fist, cursing under her breath before she pushes herself to stand. She stands in the center of the room, allowing herself to get used to standing again. Her head falls into her hands, allowing another sob to pass her throat before she looks back up. She shakes her sweaty and matted hair out of her face before she turns, beginning to follow Midoriya.

She was still in pain, fatigued. Blood continued to flow down her legs when she stood, but it ceased fairly quickly. She continued to stagger her way outside. When she made it to the rooftop, she could see Midoriya and Melissa. All Might was holding a bleeding David Shield. She felt her body relax, letting out a deep breath as she walked over to the group, putting on a brave face for her boyfriend.

"Ryo," She smiles at him, going to speak before the ground beneath them shakes and turns. David was grabbed by metal wires, the ground shifted. Ryoko and All Might began to drift apart from one another. Ryoko's eyes were focused on the large metal tower ahead of them, but she was broken from her trance by hearing her boyfriend yell her name. Her head turns, seeing All Might trying to run to her, his hand outstretched for hers.

"Toshi!" She calls, her own hand extending outwards. They were only centimeters apart as the ground continued to shift, taking them farther away from one another. The heroes turn, facing the villain as he begins to speak, the professor's invention on his head.

"I heard Sam, All Might's Quirk is failing him. He doesn't have the same unstoppable power he once did."

Ryoko's head turns, her ears picking up the sound of All Might coughing. She couldn't see his hand, but the way he looked at it, she could understand what the situation was.

"Toshi-!"

"You really don't know when to give up, do you?" Ryoko's hand extends, reaching out for All Might as he flies at the villain. She watches, worried, as he prepares to deliver an ultimate move. It's blocked by a large metal wall, the villain grinning as Ryoko and Midoriya watched wide eyed. All Might is pushed back, Ryoko calling his name again as she tries to run to him. The ground begins to move again, stopping Ryoko in her tracks as she watches the villain's metal tower grow.

All Might begins to fight. Midoriya saves Melissa as the ground she was standing on shifts. Ryoko begins to move, trying to shift around the moving pieces of metal. She's ducking and doing her best to not lose her footing, her eyes flickering from the ground to All Might and back. When she looks up again, she can see All Might holding back a pillar of metal, it slowing pushing him back. He coughs up blood.

Ryoko curses, beginning to move as fast as she could to try and get to him. She puts her hand out, trying to create a flame, a spark, anything to help. She was too fatigued, too sweaty and overheated. She couldn't create her fire. Panting, she begins to look around, looking for anything that was on fire. Nothing was.

Suddenly, the pillars that were being shot at All Might were frozen. Ryoko turns, looking over her shoulder as Bakugo appears, aiming his blasts at the villain. She sees all of the students, Iida and Kirishima agreeing to help with the varying chunks of flying metal. She turns back to All Might, seeing him begin to prep himself to take more of the metal. But she knew his strength alone wouldn't be enough.

Ryoko calls out to Todoroki, the student instantly turning to her, shooting a pillar of flames at her. She takes it, coils it around her body and charges for All Might. As fast as she can, she's beside him. Her back, covered in Todoroki's flames, is pressed against the pillar, her eyes locking with All Might's. They smile at one another, Ryoko giving him a nod, before the two press on. All Might reals back with a punch, Ryoko pushing the flames up and through the pillar, sending it the villain's way.

The redhead steps back, watching as the Number One Hero flies through the air and up towards the villain. She grins, fists clenching as she continues to watch. He does a Carolina Smash, the winds whipping her hair and dress around, causing her to brace herself.

The smile is quickly wiped from her face as metal wires capture All Might just before he reaches the villain. He's fighting against them, Ryoko's eyebrows furrowing together in concern as the villain grabs a hold of All Might's throat.

She was on the ground, too far away to help. She didn't know what she could do. Red hair begins to whip around as she looks for something, anything she could use to help him. But then she hears him scream, her head turning to look back at him. She can see the villain's other hand where his scar was and she calls out to him. Ryoko continues to look around, her brain going through various possibilities when she hears All Might scream again. She looks up, seeing varying chunks of metal push together around All Might, slamming into him with force until he was completely encapsulated.

It was her turn to scream. Her knees give out, her eyes unable to pull away from the large mass of metal that held her boyfriend. She could feel the tears begin to roll down her face. Then, the villain sends sharp shards of metal through the mass. A scream rips from her throat again. Her breathing shortens, sobs beginning to wrack her body, her eyes unable to look away. Even after she sees Midoriya launch himself at the mass, she can't stop crying. Pieces of metal fly past her after Midoriya punches the large mass, her hands coming to cover her head.

After a moment, her head comes up, looking up at where All Might was just held. Nothing was there. She turned around, hearing his laugh. Ryoko sees him, crouched down next to Midoriya. "What's that look for?" He asks, a smile on his face as she tries to catch her breath, her body relaxing at the sight of his _stupid_ smile. She takes a few deep breaths, her head turning away and hanging low, hiding the smile that crossed her lips. Once Ryoko feels her breathing had returned to normal, her head turns, aiming to look back at All Might and Midoriya. As she does, a gust of wind passes on either side of her. She blinks, the two men now gone. She looks forward, seeing All Might and Midoriya running up towards the villain.

The two jump and leap and dodge the oncoming metal, with the help of Todoroki and Bakugo. Ryoko watches in awe as All Might and Midoriya, together and in unison, deliver a Double Detroit Smash against a massive cube of metal the villain had formed over them. Ryoko had only ever seen a Detroit Smash in person once, the corner of her lip pulling up as she watches the cube break into pieces, the two heroes continuing on towards the villain. Ryoko can hear the students cheering for their teacher and friend, the redhead pushing herself to her feet as she watches them real back their fists.

"Come on, come on, come on," She mutters to herself, eyes never leaving them. The punch lands, the tower crumpling to pieces. "Yes!" She screams, a fist going in the air as she grins, watching the two heroes. The students follow suit, cheering and applauding for the two.

Ryoko can hear the students calling to one another, telling each other that they were all right. Ryoko stayed where she was for a moment, the adrenaline leaving her body. She was afraid to walk, thinking she'd fall over if she tried. It also gave the two old friends a chance to talk. Slowly, she made her way over to All Might, the transformed man standing as she did. She smiled up at him, his hand instantly reaching out for her. He didn't have a smile on his face, letting Ryoko know that she looked a mess.

"Ryo, are you alright?" He asks, looking her up and down.

Her smile widens slightly. "I think we should talk now," As soon as the words leave her mouth, her lips turn down and her face contorts with sadness. All Might's arms pull her in, wrapping around her body as she grips onto him.

* * *

Ryoko stood in the shower, her back to the faucet, the water running down her body. In front of her, stood All Might. She wouldn't look at him, her clouded gaze was somewhere off to the left. He didn't push her, he simply continued to run his fingers through her hair, making sure all of the shampoo was rinsed out. He noticed, as he looked down, the blood from her body was gone, the water running clear again. But he also noticed that no hair dye was running from her.

"When are you dying your hair again?" She gives a small shrug in response, eyes still down. He tilts his head, looking at her. "Ryo?" Her eyes flicker upwards, looking into his sunken, blue eyes. He smiles, a hand continuing to run through her soaked hair. "Sing for me?"

She takes a deep breath, releasing it out through her nose as she glances down.

 _When I wake up, well I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you._

Toshinori smiles at his girlfriend, her eyes occasionally glancing up at him while she sang. It was soft, quiet, the sound of the running water her only music.

 _And when I go out, yeah I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you._

His hand falls from her hair, trailing down her arm to take her hand. She grips it eagerly.

 _And when I come home, yeah I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who's coming home to you._

Ryoko begins to rock back and forth, eyes still flickering between the floor of the bathroom to her boyfriend's face.

 _And when I'm dreamin', well I know I'm gonna dream, I'm gonna dream about the time when I'm with you._

Ryoko looks up into Toshinori's eyes, letting out a sigh as he smiles at her. Her fingers intertwined with his, she squeezes his hand. He squeezes back. He joins her on the chorus, his own deep voice having nowhere near the musical talent that Ryoko had, but he had to sing their song with her.

 _But I would walk five hundred miles and I would walk five hundred more. Just to be the man who walked one thousand miles to fall down at your door._

Instantly, she steps forward, wrapping her arms around his body. Toshinori pulls his hand from hers, wrapping his arms around her. He holds her tight, his chin resting on her head. Eventually, they separate and exit the shower. No words are shared among the two as they dry off, both putting on pajamas. Toshinori pulled on sweatpants and a large oversized shirt. Ryoko stole an oversized shirt of his and put on shorts, climbing into bed to sit at the top of it. When she stood up, however, no one would have known she was wearing the shorts.

"I want a girl," Toshinori says, Ryoko's wide eyes looking up at him.

"What?" She says. She had told him when they were alone on the roof. Tears streaming down her face, she told him that she was pregnant and lost it when she fought against the villain. He cried with her, tried to convince her to go to the doctor, but settled with making sure she was showered and comfortable when she refused to go. Toshinori knew she would go see Recovery Girl when they returned home and he didn't want to argue with her. Not any night, but especially not tonight.

"I want a girl." He repeats, looking at her. She was terrified of his reaction after she told him. He didn't say anything from the moment she told him until they were in the shower and he asked her when she was going to dye her hair. Ryoko was terrified what this would mean for their relationship.

"Why?" She finally asks, her eyes locked with his.

"Because then she'd be like you." Ryoko takes a deep breath, eyes beginning to water as she bite the inside of her cheek. "And I can handle another you."

She snorts, eyes turning away, a hand coming up to rub her nose. "Yeah, well, I hope we have a boy." She turns back to look at him and he's grinning. "Cause then he'd be like you and I can handle another you." He begins to crawl into bed, laying down next to her. "I can't handle another me."

He leans on his elbow, laying on his side as he looks up at Ryoko. "What if we have a girl and she's like me?"

Ryoko pauses, looking at him like he was stupid. "Then it's fine because she's like you and I can handle you."

He laughs, "We're in trouble if we have a boy and he's like you."

Ryoko laughs back, "Yeah we are."

"We'll keep him away from the tattoo ink until he's eighteen."

"And away from girls too, my god." Toshinori laughs. "Those poor girls."

"A true heart throb."

"No, he'd be a true asshole." The two laugh together. They didn't fall asleep easily, despite how tired their bodies were. It only felt right to sit up and talk about anything and everything. Anything that kept them laughing and smiling.

* * *

The entire class of 1 A were outside with All Might, who was currently grilling skewers for the kids for lunch. They all were on a deck against the water, wooden tables and chairs scattered everywhere. The students were talking amongst each other, All Might joining them, as he cooked. Ryoko sat off by herself at a table, head turned to look out over the water. A hand came up to rest her chin on, a sigh escaping through her nose as she did.

Her head turned though, seeing All Might's arm out of the corner of her eye. She watches as he puts a plate down in front of her. The plate contained some of the skewers he was cooking, Ryoko taking note that there was no meat on these, only grilled vegetables. He made some she could eat.

She looks up at him, his smile softening as he looked at her before turning around to head back to the grill. She uses her hand to hide her smile before she uncrosses her legs, sitting up to grab one of the skewers. Most of the class watched their interaction.

"Uh, you forgot the meat," Sero says, a little sarcasm laced in his voice.

"Not at all!" All Might bellows, turning to the student. "Ryo doesn't eat meat." The class turns to her, Ryoko taking a sip of water as she locks eyes with the students.

"What do you mean?" Hagakure asks.

"She's vegan! She doesn't eat anything that comes from animals." The class again turns to Ryoko, who was mid bite on a grilled pepper, when she pauses, turning to the students again.

"Gross." Everyone turned, Todoroki speaking as he looks at Ryoko. It was brief, last night, when Todoroki had seen Ryoko, but he had seen just how bad she was. The comment he made was not malicious, merely a jab to get her to open back up.

Like magic, Todoroki can see the mischievous glint in her eye. She puts the skewer down and stands up from the table, beelining for Todoroki. He was blocked in, he couldn't move, but he also knew she needed this. So he feigned capture, letting Ryoko scoop him up in her arms. He just didn't expect her to throw him over the side and into the water.

The class cheers and laughs, Midoriya and Iida leaning over the side to make sure he was okay. Ryoko smirked, beginning to walk back to her seat as Todoroki was pulled back in. She stops, turning around to look at the soaked Todoroki. She raises an eyebrow as he stops beside her and looks up at her. The two lock eyes for a brief moment before Todoroki begins to shake his head back and forth, Ryoko's hands coming up to try and block the water. When Todoroki stops, Ryoko brings an arm down, wrapping it around his neck. The other comes up, furiously ruffling up his hair. The class isn't sure if Todoroki breaks free or if Ryoko let him out. Regardless, Ryoko is smiling again. All Might's grin widens when Ryoko makes some of the kids sit with her.

The girls flock to her, Todoroki, Iida, and Midoriya taking seats at the table behind her, causing All Might to smile. The girls all talk and chat before Ashido turns to Ryoko.

"What is your wedding dress going to look like?"

Ryoko pauses, a smile starting to form on her lips. She brings her thumb up, her head motioning to her boyfriend. "Not in front of him,"

"What?" All Might says, turning around to look at the group of girls, the table erupting in laughter as he does. A look of confusion crosses his face but his smile returns when he catches Ryoko smiling at him. He turns back to the grill.

Jiro has her phone out, holding it out to Ryoko. "How did you do your makeup like this?" She asks, the redhead taking her phone to look at the Instagram post that was pulled up.

"For real!" Hagakure says. "You looked _stunning_ last night!"

The girls all began to agree, Ryoko's eyes softening as a small smile crosses her lips, her eyes scanning the post. All Might had posted it, it must have been what he was doing when they were laying in bed, himself on his phone and mindlessly talking about pufferfish. She would recall their conversation for years. Toshinori telling her that they puffed up for defense, Ryoko responding with "big mood."

The post had the pictures of the two of them from the night before. All Might in his Golden Age suit, Ryoko in her see through dress. The first picture was of All Might grinning at the camera, his arm wrapped around her waist, while her arm was draped over his shoulder. She was smiling as well. The second picture had All Might looking down at her, smile still wide on his face as Ryoko's hand on his shoulder was in her hair, adjusting it. Her other hand was on her skirt, holding it out while she looked down at it. She remembered telling the two men that the dress needed to flow properly. The final picture caused her to laugh. She had almost forgotten they took this one. The couple were back to back, hands up in finger guns, Ryoko winking with her tongue sticking out while All Might was clearly laughing.

The caption about brought tears to her eyes. "I found my dime piece wife."

Ryoko turns to look at All Might's back. "Always posting shit when I'm not looking, what the hell?" She speaks as she reaches over, handing the phone back to Jiro.

"You're beautiful." The hero answers as he turns around, looking down at Ryoko. "I had to post them." The girls begin to fawn over them, Ryoko's eyes simply narrowing.

"Yeah, yeah, likely story." She grabs her glass of water. "You're off the hook this time, dude." All Might simply laughs and turns back to the grill.

* * *

The couple stood between the two planes. Ryoko turns to look up at All Might, hands going to her hips, squishing the oversized jacket she was wearing. It was All Might's but he didn't mind. He was glad to see the old, college jacket going to good use.

"Well, we part here, soldier."

All Might smiles at his girlfriend. "I love you,"

"I love you too," She responds instantly, a smile beginning to pull up the corners of her lips.

A finger comes up, All Might smiling wider at her. "I wasn't done." Ryoko simply rolls her eyes before she shifts her weight and waits for him. "You've bewitched me." A red eyebrow raises. "Body and soul, and I love you." Ryoko lets out a small laugh, arms shifting to cross over her chest. "I loved you yesterday, I love you still, and I always will." The redhead looks down, kicking at a nonexistent rock before she looks up at him.

"Yeah well, I love you like a fat kid loves cake." A laugh erupts from the Pro Hero, Ryoko's hands coming up in surrender. "Sorry, did I interrupt again?"

The hero grins, hands moving to cup her cheeks. "You did," He begins to lean down, but was stopped by a "Get a room." The couple turns and sees Todoroki walking over with Midoriya. The two separate, Ryoko wrapping an arm around Todoroki's neck, pulling him in the direction of their plane.

"I still have time to leave you here," She starts, beginning to walk up the stairs and into the plane. Ryoko looks over her shoulder, waving at All Might. The hero waves back, a large grin on his face as he does. Midoriya stands next to his teacher, All Might not moving until Ryoko and Todoroki was on the plane. He waited until their plane was about to take off before he turns, ushering Midoriya along to get on their own plane and return home.


	10. Chapter 9

Everyone returned home from I Island. The students immediately went about packing and preparing for their summer training camp. Ryoko and Toshinori returned to their home, the redhead immediately collapsing into their shared bed. Toshinori tried to convince her to go see Recovery Girl now that they were home, but she was asleep before he could get a word out. He couldn't say he blamed her though. The trip was exhausting for her. He himself was tired as well, sliding into their bed with her. Both still dressed in their clothes, not even bothering to change into pajamas or comfier clothing. He crawled into her arms, falling asleep almost instantly when his head laid on her chest.

Toshinori woke before her, sliding himself out of the bed, careful not to move too fast or make too much noise. She needed the rest, he wouldn't bother her. He headed down the stairs and into the kitchen, beginning to make tea for the both of them. He got distracted, his eyes staring at one of the many pictures they had hanging up. The two of them, standing on the steps of this house. It was their move in day, a day that Ryoko was beyond ecstatic for. Ever since her parents passed, all she wanted was a house of her own. Toshinori knew she wanted a home, not just a house. It meant the world to him when she asked him to move in with her, to get the house. They had been together a little over two years when it happened. He had no regrets about moving in with the singer that day. Even if their move in aided in their two month separation after three years, Toshinori had no regrets.

"You're whistling," The words are spoken around a yawn, Toshinori jumping to grab the kettle off the stove. He goes about finishing the tea as Ryoko stretches, walking over to the table to take a seat. She's rubbing at her face, elbows on the table as Toshinori brings her a mug of tea. He takes his seat across from her, smiling at her as he does.

For as long as they've shared a bed, Ryoko always followed behind Toshinori when he would leave the bed. It can take her anywhere from seconds to fifteen minutes to get up with him. She had told him once that it was more than likely due to her not wanting to be alone in the bed. He really didn't mind it at all.

He smiles as she lets out another yawn, her head dropping as she picks up her mug. They sit in silence, finishing their tea before Toshinori brings up the idea of seeing Recovery Girl. Ryoko agrees, albeit reluctantly, and the two head out to UA. They walk in, the elder woman turning in her chair to see them.

Ryoko gives a small smile, "Hey Machine," For as long as Toshinori has known Ryo, she's always called Recovery Girl "Machine." The redhead had tried to explain the meaning behind the nickname to him, but gave up halfway through when she realized he just wasn't getting it.

"Well, hello, you two. What brings you here on summer vacation?"

Immediately, Ryoko's phone started to ring. She pulled it out, reading the caller ID and answering the phone. Toshinori recognized the ringtone. It was her song _King Of The Clouds_ , meaning her boss, Endeavor, was calling her. She begins to speak, walking passed the two to go look out the window. They watch her, Toshinori's eyes never leaving his girlfriend's back as he whispers to Recovery Girl, "She had a miscarriage."

"Oh dear," Recovery Girl sighs, her eyes staying on the redheaded woman.

"At I Island." He states, Recovery Girl now turning to look up at him. He still never turned his gaze away from Ryoko. "There were some villains and she was hit pretty badly. She didn't want to see anyone but you."

Recovery Girl shakes her head, "A reckless hero with a fear of doctors."

Finally, Toshinori's eyes turn to the school's nurse. "You can't blame her for her reason."

"She'll have to overcome it eventually." The nurse hops off of her chair, walking over to Ryoko as she hangs up her phone. She has no time to slide it back into her pocket before Recovery Girl is making her sit on the bed. "Come on now, sit!" Ryoko does as told, slightly wide eyed. "Honestly," Ryoko watches as Recovery Girl moves to stand in front of her, looking into her eyes. "You should have seen a doctor on the island." Ryoko simply shrugs before Recovery Girl makes her lie down, beginning to examine her.

What feels like hours to Toshinori and Ryoko is finally up, Recovery Girl letting them leave. Ryoko was told, since it had been a few days, that her body was still trying to recover and to take it easy. Recovery Girl told both of them to take it easy after the incident on I Island. Still, Ryoko was told to rest as much as possible, eat healthy, and drink plenty of water. She figured that would be the case, but what she wasn't so sure of was how to reclaim her body when she was sharing it with a small being the size of a raspberry.

The couple returned home, Ryoko's combat boots immediately being kicked off and left at the front door. Toshinori shed his coat, draping it over one of the dining room chairs before he headed for the kitchen. She looks over at him, noticing him pulling open varying cabinets to begin cooking.

"Can we order take out?" She asks him, standing by the couch.

He turns and smiles at her, slowly closing the cabinet doors. "Of course." She gives him a small smile back before she heads upstairs, deciding on a shower before dinner.

She had just showered that morning. Ryoko told herself that there was no need for this second shower and especially not before dinner, she hadn't done anything today. But as she stood in the shower, looking down at her legs, all she could see was the blood. She took her loofa, lathered it with body wash, and began to scrub at her thighs. She did this for what felt like an hour before she stopped. Her thighs were red, Ryoko unsure if it was from her actions or the hot water. She sighs, turning to have her body face the water. She tilts her head back, willing herself to relax.

The bathroom door opens, Ryoko jumping and turning. Through the glass of the door, she can see her boyfriend, hands up in surrender and eyes filled with apologies. "Sorry, honey, but dinner is here."

Ryoko lets out a sigh, hands coming up to run through her hair. "Alright, I'll be down in a minute." Toshinori nods before he closes the door. Rubbing her forehead, she wills herself to take a few deep breaths before she forces herself out of the shower. This was going to be a long summer.

* * *

The two enjoyed their dinner together, the news playing in the background. They weren't paying attention to it, using it mostly as filler noise. Occasionally, Ryoko or Toshinori would turn their attention to the television for a brief moment before returning to their dinner. The news changed, focusing less on current events and switching to celebrities, and the story caused both of them to turn their heads.

"I Island's I Expo just wrapped up the other day and the world is abuzz with talk about the 'it' couple, Pro Hero All Might and singer Ryoko." A picture of the two of them appeared on screen, from when they first bumped into each other on the island. "The two were not only seen at the entrance together but they also went to the industry party together as well."

The couple watches the TV screen, Ryoko's eyebrow raising. "We're the 'it' couple?" Toshinori shrugs as he eats his noodles, eyes still on the screen. The picture of the two of them, flashing finger guns, was up on the screen.

"First things first, let's talk about the singer's stunning outfit. She looked uh-mazing." Ryoko let's out a little laugh, taking a bite of her food as she watches the host talk about her outfit. "Ryoko is known for her signature style of all black everything. She is the definition of grunge." Ryoko can see Toshinori nod out of the corner of his eye. "And her runway style is no different. Only someone who writes the lyric 'nothing in the cage of my ribcage' can pull off a see through dress." Toshinori nods again, the movement larger this time.

"Second, can we just talk about how All Might is the best boyfriend? The post for their anniversary alone won the man Boyfriend of the Year." Now it was Ryoko's turn to nod. "The Number One Hero posted pictures of him and the singer with the caption 'I found my dime piece wife' the night of the party, and if that isn't goals, then I don't know what is. Where can I find myself an All Might?"

Ryoko continues to stare at the television, it going back to current events as she speaks. "What does dime piece even mean?"

"Ten out of ten," Toshinori answers. He turns his head to look at Ryoko, who is slowly turning to him, eyes narrowed.

"Bitch, I'm an eleven out of ten."

"I know." Toshinori grins wide. "But dime piece sounds better."

Ryoko sits back in her seat, her back colliding with the chair, "Fuck, I've lost my man to Insta." The man laughed.

* * *

After dinner was over and cleaned up, it was Toshinori's time to bath. He ran himself a bath, deciding to soak and relax. Ryoko walked into the bathroom, a few minutes after he was situated in the bath. She sits down beside the tub, leaning against the edge. Toshinori turns to look at Ryoko, as she extends a hand to him. She opens her fist, showing him a guitar pick.

"They were this big." Instantly, the man knows what she's talking about. His eyes move from the guitar pick to her face, her eyes still on the pick. "About five weeks. I was sharing my body with a guitar pick for five weeks and now," She clenches her fist. "I'm not."

Toshinori clasps both of his hands around her fist, bringing it up to his lips to kiss the back of her hand. "We can always get another guitar pick."

Ryoko finally looks up at him. She stares at him for a moment before she asks, "Can we get married first?"

The man grins. "Of course,"

She nods, pulling her hand from his and moving to stand up. "I am not wearing a wedding dress pregnant." Her eyes roll slightly and Toshinori laughs. She leaves him to relax. She changes and slides into bed. Within moments, she's almost out. But Toshinori's phone began to ring.

 _A phone call is here! A phone call is here!_

She winces. She normally would laugh at his ringtone, but she couldn't find the humor in it this time around. Toshinori probably couldn't hear it in the bathroom so Ryoko, half asleep, said, "Toshi, babe, your phone." He was still in the bathroom, the phone still ringing. Right when Ryoko was beginning to get frustrated, the phone stopped. The redhead sighed, relaxing further into bed. A second later, her phone began to ring.

 _I pray for the wicked on the weekend! Mama can I get another amen?_

She groans, using her elbow to push herself up in bed. She gave everyone, important to her, their own ringtone. Always her songs and always the song she wrote for them. From the ringtone, she could tell it was Aizawa. She grabs her phone and answers it, groggily saying hello. Ryoko pauses for a moment, listening to Eraserhead before she flies up in bed, eyes wide open.

"What?!" Toshinori came out of the bathroom, eyes immediately looking at Ryoko to make sure everything was okay.

She turns to look at him, phone pulling away from her ear slightly. "The kids were attacked."

* * *

Ryoko moved through the streets quickly. She had her black aviator sunglasses on her face as she quickly walked down to the high school. She had every intention of joining Toshinori when he went to the school for his meeting with the principal and other teachers. Ryoko knew he needed her there. She knew he felt awful because he was simply eating dinner and bathing while the kids were being attacked. She knew there was nothing he could do but he would still hold onto that burden.

The redhead wanted to be there for her boyfriend, knowing he received no sleep the night before because of Aizawa's call. Instead, she was asked by her boss to come in. So in she went, speaking to Endeavor. He could tell she had a lot on her mind, more agitated than normal. He sent her on her way fairly quickly, the redhead practically sprinting as she left.

She could see the massive swarm of media outside the main gate of UA. Ryoko continued to walk, head beginning to move down as the media turned its attention to her. She continued to walk, cameras flashing and people shouting, microphones being shoved in her face. Ryoko could see the gate was shut and she figured if she opened it with her visitor pass, some foolish media person would try and get inside.

Instead, she stops just before the gate, scaling the large brick wall and jumping over it. She couldn't wait to see that on the news tomorrow.

Ryoko found her way through the varying floors, going to the conference room. She lets herself in, the teachers and principal inside not thinking twice. She grabs a chair and pulls it up to the table, sitting in between All Might and Midnight. She slides her sunglasses to sit on her head, Present Mic sitting up more in his seat as he saw his best friend. Her eyes were puffy and red, she wore not an ounce of makeup. He knew she had been crying. He raises an eyebrow when she looks over at him. She glances over at her boyfriend before she looks back at Mic, mouthing the word 'later' before a hand runs through the ends of her hair, turning to Nezu.

"That training camp was meant to prepare students to handle villain attacks. The irony is shameful." The Principal speaks. "We knew the league would resurface but we lacked a fundamental understanding of their plans. They aim to destroy hero society and they've already started their war."

Midnight, fingers interlocked and elbows on the table, speaks, "Even if we had understood, could we really have avoided this attack?"

"Villains are crafty." Midnight turns to the redhead beside her. "There's no saying what could have been done, whether we knew about it or not." Ryoko looks around the table, eyes scanning from Midnight to Nezu as she talked, Snipe to Mic, before she looks back at Midnight. "We were partially lucky with Stain. I mean, what if he targeted a different city that night even though we suspected him to be in Hosu?"

"But they're moving pieces we didn't even know they possessed." Ryoko puts her hands up before she leans back in her chair. "Besides, All Might put an end to most organized crime. We're all rusty."

"Speak for yourself." Ryoko mutters to herself, rubbing her chin.

"We've definitely gotten complacent during peaceful times without realizing it." Mic says, fingers pointing across the table. "I guess deep down we all thought we'd be riding the sweet life for good." Ryoko can only give a shrug before her attention is pulled to her boyfriend. The man had his elbows on the table, forehead in his hands.

"I will never forgive myself for such cowardly ignorance. While our students were fighting desperately for their lives, I was just, having a relaxing soak in the bath."

Ryoko reaches over, her head turning to look at Snipe as he talked, her hand rubbing Toshinori's back. "We shouldn'ta had the Sports Festival right after the USJ attack."

"Yes, but if you guys cancelled or postponed the festival the media would have questioned how sturdy UA is as school. It was a double edged sword. Your decision would have probably affected things the same way, regardless." Ryoko's rubbing her chin, eyes locking with Snipe's as the two talked.

"We wanted to show we were still strong." Ryoko nodded and agreed with the teacher's statement. She knew what the school was aiming to do in continuing with the Festival, it being one of the reasons she went there to support them. "To have a student kidnapped is our greatest failure as teachers. They've taken Bakugo and society's faith in heroes away from us."

"I agree. Every news outlet is currently condemning UA High."

Ryoko turned to look at the Principal. "Every news outlet is at your front door."

Nezu nodded before he picked up the newspaper in front of him. "If Bakugo was one of the main targets, it's likely because the villains noticed his violent tendencies during the Sports Festival broadcast. If he ends up joining the side of the villains, that will be the end of UA as a school."

"That kid's not gonna do that." Everyone turned to the redhead. "I saw that kid at the Sports Festival and he about gave me a run for my money turning the final exams. He's got a funny way of showing it, but he's not leaving our side. I put my word on that."

"Since we're on the topic of trust and words," Ryoko turns to look at Mic, as does the other four. "There's something I think has to be voiced now. At this point, we can't deny it anymore can we? There's a traitor at this school."

Midnight and All Might were taken back by Mic's statement, Ryoko leaning forward and putting a hand up. "Whoa, whoa, Mic."

"Only the teachers and the Pussycats knew where the training camp would be." Mic's hands slam on the table as he gets out of his seat. "Don't you think that's a little suspicious? I guess a kid could have used their phone to message a villain but-"

"Stop this Mic!" Midnight says.

"What's the problem? We have to find who the leak is!"

"I'm not putting down your feelings, my problem is, that you have no solid evidence about this." Ryoko says, hands shaking as she uses them to talk.

"Could be you for all we know." Mic turns to look at Snipe. "You got any proof that you're a hundred percent innocent?"

Ryoko motions to Snipe. "Or any proof that _anyone_ is the traitor?"

"Can we know that everyone in this room is an ally?"

Mic moves to sit down, clearly upset. Snipe continues, "If we start doubting each other, we'll destroy ourselves from the inside. Accusing a traitor isn't something we should take lightly."

"At the very least," All eyes turn to the principal. "I trust everyone sitting at this table." Ryoko smiles softly. "Though there's also no way for me to prove to all of you that _I_ am innocent. For the moment, what we must do as a school is concentrate on guaranteeing the safety of our study body. This is a good time to implement something I've wanted to put in place for a while. You see, I-"

 _A phone call is here!_

Ryoko jumps slightly, turning to look at All Might as he stands to silence his phone. He looks at the screen before he turns to the room. "Excuse me everyone, I have to take this." The redhead watches as All Might shuffles out of the room, Mic making a comment about silencing his phone in a meeting.

Midnight leaned over to Ryoko. "He's his own ringtone?" She simply shrugs before she looks across the table at Mic.

"I would like to take a moment to thank you, Ryoko," She turns to the principal at the sound of her name. "For joining us and helping us. It's great to have you here!"

"I appreciate you appreciating me." She says, resting her chin in her hand. "I am a little bit biased when it comes to this school though."

"Yes but to have your sharp mind helping us is a true treat! Endeavor is lucky to have you as a sidekick."

"Assistant," Ryoko says quickly, pointing her finger at Nezu who simply smiles and apologizes. She turns her head, glancing at the door before she stands, excusing herself. She peaks her head out, seeing All Might, transformed and fists clenched. She could see the smoke still hanging on his body as he hangs up his phone. "Toshi?"

The man turns, gifting his girlfriend with a smile when he sees her. She can only imagine who he was on the phone with. She walks over to him and stops before him. No words pass among the two for a moment before Ryoko holds her hands out. Palms facing upwards, she looks into All Might's eyes. A smile crosses her lips as he brings his hands up, palms open and upwards. Her hands turn over and she places them in his hands, his fingers closing around her hands.

"To the altar?" He asks, her grin growing as she looks at him.

"To the altar."

* * *

Ryoko sat with her boss in his office the next day. A lady, one of the secretaries if Ryoko could recall, entered the office. She informed Endeavor that he had a call. Ryoko took a sip of coffee from her mug, eyes looking at her boss and then to the secretary before they went back to her boss. He stood and began to cross the room to his desk, to answer the phone.

"Ryo, you have a call as well."

The redhead perks up, putting her mug down as she started to stand up. "A call for me?"

"Well, it's one call for both you and Endeavor."

"Aw," Ryoko states, following her boss to his desk. "I thought I was cool enough to get my own call."

"Who is it?" Endeavor asks.

"A Mr. Tsukauchi from the police department."

Ryoko turns to look at Endeavor, an eyebrow raised at him as he clicks a button, answering the phone and putting it on speaker. "I'm listening."

"Ryoko is there as well?"

"Miss me that much?" Ryoko grins, looking to the side, but she knew it couldn't be a good call. All Might had told her what his phone call was about. The redhead was almost expecting the call.

"We would like to request your assistance, sir. Ryoko's as well." The two heroes look at each, Ryoko beginning to grin.

"Dibs on driving."

* * *

"We've gathered some of our finest heroes here today." Naomasa spoke, smiling as he gestured to the heroes, showing them to the police officers. "Now, let's talk strategy."

The group talked and discussed how the night was planned to go. Ryoko kept glancing over at All Might the entire time Naomasa briefed the group. On one occasion, Ryoko locked eyes with All Might before she slowly leaned back, eyes drifting down to look at his backside. She could see the blush creeping across his face as he gestured with his head to Naomasa. Ryo simply gave him a wink before she turned back.

After the briefing was over, Endeavor spoke, "Why should I clean up UA's mess?"

Ryoko looked at her boss before she slowly raised her hand. "I can name a few reasons." She brings her hand down, counting on her fingers. "You used to go there, you're the Number Two Hero, it's technically your job, and your fucking son goes there."

"I'm a very busy man, as you know," Endeavor said again, clearly ignoring Ryoko, who simply rolled her eyes.

"Get off your high horse." Ryoko's eyebrows raised as she turned to her friend on the screen, Best Jeanist. "You are a UA Alum."

Naomasa turned to Endeavor. "We can't call any heroes away from the school. There is a bigger picture Endeavor."

Ryoko's fingers snap and she's pointing at Best Jeanist and the officer. "I'm taking their side." This only caused her boss to get angrier.

Naomasa now turned to face the rest of the group of in the room. "It's possible this incident is the beginning of the end for hero society. We'll stop at nothing to resolve this successfully."

"During the internships, I invited Bakugo to my agency to try and reform him."

"How'd that go?" Ryoko asks Best Jeanist, knowing full well how it went.

"I've met very few as stubborn as he is. He could even rival your stubbornness, Ryoko." The redhead grins, giving a mock bow as the hero continues. "I imagine he's fighting back."

"I know he's fighting back." Ryoko turns, arms crossing to look at both All Might and Naomasa. "I fought that kid once and saw him on TV, he's not going down easily nor without a fight."

"That's the exact reason why we need to hurry." Gang Orca approached Best Jeanist, the heroes at the second location speaking. Ryoko takes this time to turn to All Might.

"You gonna be okay, Big Cat?" He simply gives her smile and turns back to Naomasa, who had begun to speak about the plan again. His response didn't sit well with her and it caused an uneasiness in her gut. Still, she turned back to the officer.

"Retrieving Bakugo is our priority. At the same time, we'll gain control of the other hideout. This will cut off their paths of retreat. We'll arrest them all at once."

"Toshinori." All Might looked over his shoulder at his teacher. "If they're recruiting old men like me, then-"

"What are you suggesting?" All Might asks as he turns to face the elder. "You're still Gran Torino and with such staggering stakes at hand we can be sure that _he_ is involved."

"All For One." Gran Torino spoke before he turned to look over at Ryoko, speaking with her boss. "You can't afford to act recklessly when we get out there. Someone is counting on you to return." All Might follows his teacher's gaze, eyes landing on Ryoko right as she laughs.

"We have the element of surprise. These villains will not succeed!" Naomasa spoke, turning away from the screen. "At the press conference earlier, we had Principal Nezu act clueless to deceive the villains. He feigned ignorance on camera as if we didn't have leads. After hearing his words, the villains won't expect us to rush in on the very same day. We'll retaliate! It's time for our counter attack! Remind the world what you can do heroes!"

With those words, the heroes moved out. One group went to the second location. All Might, Endeavor, and Ryoko, along with numerous police officers, headed to the location where Bakugo was being held. They all stood out in front, eyeing the building. Endeavor looked up.

"Let's get inside."


	11. Chapter 10

"Nah," The two heroes turned to Ryoko. "They're probably expecting All Might to break the door down or for Endeavor to burn his way inside. We need to do something that will catch them off guard so that way when All Might does smash the wall in, they're not expecting it."

"Then what do we do?"

Ryoko looks up at All Might. He can see the smirk on her face and the mischievous glint in her eyes. "Hey, go knock on the door and say you're a pizza guy." For a brief moment, Ryoko doubted All Might would do it. Then a police officer walked to the front door and knocked, followed by All Might smashing through the wall.

Ryoko was practically on the ground and in tears from laughing so hard. Endeavor looked down at her. "Stand up, you fool!"

She does as told, pointing at the hole in the wall. "I am taking that to my grave!"

Wiping tears from the corner of her eye, her and her boss watched as Kamui Woods, Gran Torino, and Edgeshot joined All Might inside the villains hideout. Ryoko was smiling, watching through the hole in the wall. Endeavor was complaining.

"Tsukauchi, why does Edgeshot get to rush into the fight while I'm stuck here with you?!"

"And me!" Ryoko says, hand waving as she smiles at her boss.

"Because if someone slips out, we'll need you to capture them immediately."

Ryoko knew her boss didn't like to take orders from others, let alone let someone else rush into the fight and stay on the sidelines. Still, she continued to smile. "Just be patient, you're still gonna get some glory for being a part of this." She laughs, turning to look back at the building. Instead, her line of sight was blocked by a massive creature, stepping out of a swirling black mass. Her eyes go wide, realizing the creature to be the same as the ones they fought in Hosu City. Nomus, creatures designed and created for the League.

She could hear Endeavor shouting something at her and she ducks, avoiding his shot of flames as they hit the creature in front of her. She stands back up, immediately turning around to see numerous other Nomus in the area. All of them appearing out of the same black mass. She doesn't have much time to think as she immediately goes on the offense, aiming to protect the police officers. Endeavor and herself both go about attacking the Nomus with fire, seeing as the officers and their bullets were doing little to no damage.

Endeavor calls for Tsukauchi to evacuate the area as Ryoko's hand reaches out and wills some of Endeavor's flames to her. She steals some from his suit. Having done so for years, she wasn't even sure if he noticed it anymore. She forces it into her whip, turning and flicking her hand at one of the creatures. The whip wraps around it's neck and she yanks her hand back, the creature gagging before collapsing.

She turns around, using her whip to hit another Nomu. It's attention turned from an officer to Ryoko. She flicks the whip again, having it wrap around his arm. She twists her hand, grasping the whip tightly before she wills the flames larger. As she does, she can hear Kamui Woods call for help. No one gives him an answer, Endeavor continuing to attack with his flames while Ryoko kicked at the Nomu she had. The kicks weren't doing much, but it helped to push it back towards Endeavor. He turns and sees the creatures, immediately bringing his hand up to shoot flames at it. Ryoko releases the whip's hold on it before she turns to another Nomu.

She uses the whip to smack the Nomu in its head, it letting out a cry as it does. Ryoko turns, her whip's flames changing and shifting into a katana. She grips it firmly in her hands, the Nomu encircling her. She swings, aiming for one's head, slicing it clean off its shoulders before she turns, bringing the katana down and slashing at another. Feet shifting and turning again, she brings the katana up by her face. She lunges forward, driving it into the body of another Nomu.

Red hair flies as Ryoko turns her head, an explosion occurring in the building. Numerous more Nomus flew out of the building. The redhead could only roll her eyes as she pulled the flaming katana out of the body of the Nomu.

"More of them?" Endeavor calls, continuing to use his flames on them. Ryoko wills her katana to grow, shifting into a double ended sword. She uses her empty hand, causing it to spin, sparks and flames shooting off of it and attacking the Nomu. "I thought we were supposed to have a handle on these?!"

"Jeanist isn't answering me anymore. It's possible they failed at the Nomu factory!" Ryoko's head turns, cursing under her breath before she turns back to the Nomu before it, shoving one end into it's exposed brain.

"This is putting a lot of stress on my power."

"Ditto!" Ryoko calls, kicking the Nomu off of her flame sword.

"Endeavor!" Both heroes turn, seeing All Might standing in the hole in the wall. Ryoko clenches her jaw when she hears him cough, but she continues to turn and slash another creature. "Are you keeping up?"

"Does it look like I'm having any trouble?" The hero spats, gesturing to the Nomu lying on the ground. Ryoko turns, slicing two more Nomu across their throats as she does, before she faces Endeavor, a hand coming up to push a strand of hair out of her face.

"I'm at eleven, I'll have both of you boys know,"

"Worry about your own responsibilities, you fool!" Ryoko wanted to make a joke about how if Endeavor calls you fool, then you know he cares, but now didn't seem the best time.

Endeavor turns, shooting his flames into the sky to attack two flying Nomu. "If you're going to go after them, now's the time."

Ryoko stabs one more Nomu with her blades, letting it fall to the ground as she turns to look up at All Might. "Go on ahead!" She calls, her sword shifting into a small Phoenix who flew up and landed on her shoulder. "We've got it here." She smiles, bringing a hand up to give him a thumbs up. As she did, the Phoenix raised a wing in solidarity. He gives her a small smile before he turns and takes off. Ryoko turns, watching him leave before she turns back to the situation at hand.

She moves her shoulder, the Phoenix using the movement to take flight. It flew above one of the Nomus before it dived downwards, engulfing the entire creature in flames. She pivots, bringing her hand up before she pretends she's throwing something. As she does, the flames surrounding the Nomu retract, shifting back into a Phoenix to fly past Ryoko. It aims for another Nomu, engulfing this one as well. Ryoko smirks as she reaches her hand out, taking more of Endeavor's flames and converting it into a whip again.

Endeavor simply looks over his shoulder to look at Ryoko. She's grinning, twirling the whip as a Nomu burns behind her. She brings the weapon up, it zooming past Endeavor's head as it wraps around another Nomu's arm. She yanks and causes the Nomu to tumble towards Endeavor, who quickly burns this one's head. The motions continue, Ryoko using her whip to aid Endeavor in burning Nomus, all while the flaming Phoenix flies from creature to creature and burns them.

She yanks yet another Nomu towards Endeavor. As she does, she hears a large explosion behind her. Her head whips around, staring into the distance of where the sound came from. Ryoko's heart began to race, her breathing becoming quicker as her eyes started to go wide. She takes a deep breath, twisting her body and beginning to run. As she does, she releases the whip, it disappearing into the sky as embers, the Phoenix following suit as Ryoko released her control.

She can hear her boss calling her name but it sounded like he was cities away. All she could truly hear was her heart beat pounding in her ears. Ryoko ran, masses upon masses of people running in the opposite direction of her. It made sense - who would run towards an explosion? It only made Ryoko's task more difficult. Trying to squeeze past terrified people, she was being squished. But then she remembered.

"Move! Pro Hero! Move!" As she shouted, the sea of people began to part. It didn't clear her way, but it made everything easier. She knew she was getting close, the people disappearing. Rocks and rubble appeared on her left, her eyes being pulled towards it. Ryoko turns and began to climb up the mountain of rubble. Using her hands, she's pulling herself up and up and finally, she reaches the top. And she freezes.

Kamino Ward was flatten. There was a massive crater below where Ryoko stood. Her chest shuttered as she released a breath. There stood her boyfriend. Skinny and beaten and bloodied and hollow. His hero outfit was torn and bloodied, hanging off of his body. There was a man in a black suit, wires and metal encasing his head, though it appeared it had been smashed in. She could hear footsteps behind her. None of that mattered. All that mattered was the man down there, bruised and bloodied.

All Might turned, a massive wave of fire directly aimed at All For One. Due to his numerous quirks, with a simple wave of his arm, the flames disappear. That didn't matter, for when All For One dispersed the flames, another large burst came through. He waved his arm again, the flames shifting away from him again. As the flames disappeared, All Might could see the flash of red and black as Ryoko aimed to punch All For One. He easily dodged, causing Ryoko to turn and aim a kick.

The flames that the villain dispersed were called back to Ryo almost as soon as he did so. By the time she regained both of her footing after the kick, the flames were wrapped around her body again. The flames shift to a whip and with one flick of her wrist, the whip is snapped and it's wrapped around All For One's neck. The villain reaches up towards his neck, gripping at the flaming whip. As he does, Ryoko wills the rest of the flames to him. It shifts to a Phoenix, one of the largest she had ever created. It flew into the sky, a large screech being released as it spread its wings. It covered the night sky, so large in size that the news helicopter almost couldn't capture all of it in the shot. Then, the large mass of fire that the creature made up, descended on All For One, burning as hot as Ryoko could make it.

It was taking everything out of her. She had already used her quirk against the Nomus and could feel just how overheated she truly was. But she couldn't stop, she had to push through. She couldn't think about how wet her hair was becoming with her sweat, or that her hands ached under the fire, or that the damn news helicopter was watching her every move.

With one of his many quirks, the flames disappeared and they disappeared for good. The action caused Ryoko to jerk back, her hands unclenching as if she had just touched a hot pan out of the oven. She managed to catch herself, regaining her footing before she fell into the ditch that All For One had created around All Might.

She stands up, her eyes never once leaving the villain before her.

"What a _hero_ ," The man taunts. "Jumping into save the man you love."

"Not a hero." The statement was short, the words having a finite bite to them as her chest rose and fell, taking in as much air as she could.

"Oh? Then what are you?"

Midoriya watched the screen in the city. He was expecting Ryoko to smirk or laugh and give a cunning retort. Instead, she kept her steely gaze fixated on the villain, her face emotionless. He could see the sweat dripping off of her as she tried to catch her breath.

"A mother fucking rockstar."

The villain laughs. Ryoko sheds her leather jacket, tossing it to the ground. The people on the street began to murmur about Ryoko and cheer her on, flames beginning to wrap around her arms as she clenches her fist. She charges at him, aiming to punch or throw flames at him. Each time she did, he retaliated, the flames evaporating. Ryoko shoots flames his way, All For One sending the flames back at her, catching her off guard.

Now she knew she was exhausted. She couldn't even handle her own flames being thrown back at her. Catching her balance again, she stares at the villain, causing the flames around her arms to grow bigger and burn hotter. With her right arm, she tosses a string at him, wrapping around his left arm. She repeats the action with her left arm, ensnaring his right arm. She's pulling against him but he's pulling back. Ryoko ends up being dragged towards him, her heels digging into the ground to keep herself away from him.

"What an impressive quirk."

"Isn't it?!" She shouts back, teeth gritting. She stops pulling, eyes going wide as his right arm grows three times in size. It extends, pointed at Ryoko. She doesn't have time to retaliate. Even if she did have the time, she wasn't sure it would be enough. All she can manage is to call her flames back to her, forcing them to wrap around herself as the blow hits her.

She flies, up and over, spinning through the air before she hits the pile of rubble behind All Might. She hits the mound before she hits the ground, everything going black.

* * *

It was quiet, when they pulled Ryoko from the rubble. The only one who knew Ryoko was coming out of the mess was the hero who found her. She pushed herself, making herself stand up. As she did, her senses started to return to her slowly. Her vision was becoming less blurry, thought she still couldn't quite see everything right. She could hear, though it sounded like she was hearing everything with earmuffs on. The hero was saying something to her about not moving so quickly, other heroes were moving through the rubble to help others, news reporters were telling the story.

She rubs at her head. It was pounding, almost as if something wanted out. Ryoko tries to push away the hero that was trying to help her, but instead she ended up gripping their arm for balance.

Then she heard him. "Ryoko!" His voice cracked. The name was shouted loudly and with desperation. She could hear the anguish in his voice, perfectly.

Her head turns and she can see Toshinori, perfectly. He's already running at her.

"Toshi," She says, releasing her grip on the hero's arm. Her own arms open up for him as she takes a step forward. She would have taken more steps, but her body wouldn't let her. He made it to her quicker than she could in the moment. As soon as his arms wrapped around her and her arms wrapped around his body, the two collapsed. They were on their knees, clutching onto one another. Ryoko could feel the tears on her shoulder. It caused her to tuck her head into his neck, gripping his torn hero suit tighter. It helped to hide her own tears.

The two remained that way until Naomasa and Endeavor made them go to the hospital.

* * *

"Tsukauchi and I will investigate Shigaraki and the League without you for now. You stay at UA. You still have many responsibilities there." Gran Torino speaks, a bandage over his eye. Naomasa sat beside him while Toshinori sat in the hospital bed. "Even if you cannot be the Symbol of Peace that you once were, don't forget that All Might is still alive."

Two knocks sounded in the room, the three men turning their attention to the door. Ryoko stood in the doorway, leaning against it as she gave a small smile. Toshinori could see the bandage wrapped around her head as the hand she used to knock with fell to her side. Ryoko stood up straight.

Gran Torino and Naomasa stood. "We'll leave you two alone." The elder spook before he left, Naomasa behind him. Before the officer left, Ryoko brought her hand up, holding her fist out to him. He paused, looking at the fist before looking up at Ryoko's face. She merely raises an eyebrow. Naomasa smiled back, bringing his own fist up to fist bump hers. They exit, closing the door behind them, leaving the couple alone in the hospital room.

Ryoko didn't move until she was certain the door was shut. Then, she let her feet carry her to her boyfriend's hospital bed. Toshinori had turned his head, looking out the window. She turns, sitting down and letting out a sigh. She's facing the door, simply staring at it.

She didn't want to push him to talk. He didn't push her when she had a miscarriage, she wouldn't push him when his career had just ended. So she waited. Sitting on the hospital bed, staring at the door, she waited. Until finally, his hand reaches out and grasps hers.

She gives his hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'm going to have to announce my retirement."

Ryoko bites the inside of her cheek before she turns to look at him. She gives a small smile as she nods. "Yeah," The man doesn't have time to say anything as Ryoko tells him, "I can do it for you."

"They'll want to hear it from me."

"Just because they want you doesn't mean they'll get you." Their eyes connect for a moment before Ryoko gives him a pointed look. Though she knows he won't take her up on it, she figured she'd offer him the chance to accept. He never did, only squeezing her hand which she would, in turn, give his hand a squeeze back. She remained mindful of his injuries, squeezing but doing so gently.

It hurt her to see Toshinori this way. The last time she had seen him this defeated was nearly six years ago, when the first fight against All For One landed him in the hospital. She remembered getting the call and feeling completely helpless. She did everything to help him, make him feel more comfortable, but she couldn't heal him faster or give him back the strength and power he once had. It devastated her. Especially since they had technically been separated during the time. She took the hero back the moment she saw him on the front steps of their shared house, and vowed to both herself and the hero that she would never let him go.

He asked her to be by his side when he stepped up to the podium for the world to see. She agreed without hesitation. There she stood behind him, in a simple black button down shirt with black jeans and simple heels. Her hair was slicked back in a ponytail while Toshinori wore his yellow striped suit. The jacket merely rested on his shoulders as his arm was in a sling.

Ryoko was the first person he turned to after he gave his statement, standing up from his bow. She gives him a reassuring smile before she takes his hand, interlacing their fingers together. She turned, leading him off of the podium and out of the room, taking them home. Flashes from cameras went off like fireworks. She knew the pictures and news of his retirement would be in every format the media could produce.

She took to her twitter later that night. She posted one simple tweet before Toshinori and herself turned off all notifications on their phones.

"Please give us time to grieve. Thank you and love you guys."

She didn't want to smother him but she also wanted to help him. Ryoko was only able to do so much with his last fight against All For One, she was not going to idle by and let him do everything by himself. She knew he needed help physically, being without one arm but she also knew he would need her there emotionally and mentally. So, she helped him change. Removing his suit and putting on a simple white shirt, she mindlessly talked to him about another tattoo. Her idea and vision and meaning behind it. For a moment, it was as if the incident at Kamino Ward had never happened. As she cooked dinner and talked with her boyfriend, she tried to put everything to the side. Their lives were turned upside down.

After dinner, Toshinori told Ryoko that he was going down to the beach to talk to Midoriya. Not wanting him to think she was trying to mother him, she simply gave him a smile and said okay. Once he left, she sat on their couch, hands rubbing her forehead and running through her hair. Left alone, she merely sighed, reaching over and grabbing a journal and pen that she kept on the end table. Opening it up to the next blank page, she began to write down everything in her head, already hearing the melody to the words.

* * *

Ryoko helped Toshinori get dressed in a button down the next morning, mindful of his arm. She looked up at him, her fingers working on his buttons. The bandage was still around his head, he had to keep it on for a few more days. Meanwhile, the redhead had ripped hers off shortly after they arrived at home. Toshinori had reprimanded her for it but she didn't care and refused to let him change any of his own bandages. She told him to leave it to the professionals, ignoring the pointed looks her boyfriend gave her over her hypocritical statement.

"I'm glad I'm not a teacher," She says, finishing the last of his buttons.

"Why's that?" He asks, blue eyes looking down at his girlfriend.

"You have to go to these student's houses once a year to talk about how they're doing and this time around, Nezu wants you to convince the parents to let their kids stay in a dorm?" She rolled her eyes, beginning to walk away. "Yeah, no thanks."

"Someone has to do it," He says after a small laugh.

Ryoko whipped around, pointing at herself. "Yeah and it's not gonna be me!"

Toshinori laughed and Ryoko smiled at him. He was able to throw himself full force into teaching and the redhead was thankful he had something to take his mind off of everything. She walked him to the door, opening it to see Aizawa and their car for the day. Toshinori kisses his girlfriend's cheek before he descends the stairs to their house and heads to the car.

"Keep an eye on this troublemaker today!" Ryoko calls to Aizawa, smiling when she sees Toshinori bristle slightly at her comment.

"You're one to talk,"

"Please, I'm just gonna write music and dye my hair today."

Her boyfriend whipped around. "Do not get hair dye everywhere."

She rolls her eyes, grasping the doorknob. "You make a mess once," She waves, the boys waving back, before she heads inside.


	12. Chapter 11

Ryoko was in bed writing when her boyfriend came home. She was in one of his white t shirts, smiling wide at him as he walks in.

"How'd it go?" She asks, closing her journal and putting it on the bedside table with her pen. "Is all of class 1A staying together?" Ryoko sits back up in bed.

"They are. All twenty students were given permission by their parents to stay in the dorms." Toshinori speaks as his hand comes up to undo the few buttons that were done. He turns to Ryoko, looking at her as her hands come up to give a few silent claps.

"Yay," She says as she smiles, watching him change. He didn't ask for help nor did she offer it to him. He knew she was there if he needed her help.

She stretches, yawning as she does. "But at least now your day is over and you can come to bed." He glances over at her and she grins.

He pauses for a moment before he starts to smile. "New music?"

"New music." She laughs. Ryoko always had a certain giddiness about her when she was working and creating new music. Toshinori had learned it over the years.

But just in the way he had learned her, Ryoko knew something was bothering him just from the way he climbed into bed. She shifted, turning her body towards him as he laid down. He had removed the sling his arm was in so he could sleep more comfortably. She watched as he laid himself down on his back.

His eyes turned to her and she held his gaze for a moment. "Gimme the tea, dude." Toshinori didn't bat an eye at his girlfriend's choice of words. He merely shifted his gaze to stare up at the ceiling, his hand shifting to lay on what abs he had retained in his true form.

"I look like this now," His voice is quiet, just above a whisper in their darkened room.

"And?" Ryoko speaks as if it's nothing. She merely shifts, grabbing a rogue hair that tickled her neck and tossing it over the edge of the bed before she turns back. "We can get you clothes that fit you better if that's what you mean-"

"No, Ryo," She had started to lay down but him calling her name brought her attention back to him. He pauses, swallowing the lump in his throat before he continues speaking. "It was hard enough when I looked the way I did." Her face contorts in confusion as he pauses again. "People saying that we didn't look right together-"

"And?" She cuts him off, and he can tell that she's angered. Not at him, but at whoever would dare to make those comments. She shifts, leaning her back against the headboard. "Every jock needs their goth." He glances over at her and she turns back to him. She smiles and leans over towards him slightly.

 _By the way, by your side I'll stay. If that's okay, then by your side I'll stay forever. Here I'm standing up, because I want to fall in love with you._

The two exchange smiles and she sits back up slightly, back going back against the headboard. "I only wrote that like three years ago." Her grin changes to a small smile. "I didn't know how badly I wanted to be with you until," She pauses and starts to laugh, a hand coming up to rub her forehead. "You came home from patrol one night and it had been pouring rain." She laughs again. "You came in soaked to the bone. So we got you dry and changed and," She turns to him, pointing at him. "That was the night we tried to make vegan dumplings and about set the house on fire." This causes Toshinori to laugh with Ryoko. "And we danced to _500 Miles_ in the kitchen in our underwear."

"That's probably why the kitchen almost caught on fire."

Ryoko laughs, "Yeah but that's when I knew." Their laughter ceases and Toshinori continues to look into his girlfriend's eyes. "Because any man that would make vegan dumplings with me at an un _godly_ hour of the night while dancing and singing in our underwear was a man I wanted in my life." She pauses. "Forever."

Toshinori gives her a small smile before he looks away. Ryoko could see he was feeling guilty, so she grabs the covers and looks him in the eye. "You're stuck with me, slut!" She calls before she yanks the covers up and over their head as she lays down, Toshinori laughing. Ryoko laughs with him as she rolls onto her side, cuddling against him.

* * *

All Might arrived at Gym Gamma, the Training Dining Land, waving to the other teachers as he entered the building. He was supposed to be resting, the school giving him a few days to recuperate. But it was the day the students were working on creating their ultimate moves and the day his girlfriend went back to work with Endeavor. He couldn't sit at home any longer, there was only so much he could get done at home - the spot of hair dye was not coming up off the floor no matter how hard he tried. So, he made his way to the school.

Aizawa turns to the retired hero. "I invited Ryoko her to help with the ultimate moves today since she expressed interest. But she's still not here. Have you heard from her?"

All Might grins, immediately moving to pull his phone out of his pocket. "I don't think she's going to make it in, unfortunately," As he speaks, he pulls up a news articles to show Aizawa, Midnight leaning over to see and read it as well.

The article's headline read "Singer Ryoko in the Field! Watch out Villains!" The picture they had chosen was of her running, grinning as she did, her red hair whipping around her. The article went on to talk about how Ryoko was in the field more, aiding not only Endeavor's Hero Agency, but taking on more individual calls as was needed. With All Might's retirement, villains were beginning to come out of the shadows and the amount of crimes was beginning to increase. The particular picture on the article was from a call she, alone, went to that morning. She ran out the door of their house faster that morning because of the call, a robbery in process.

Both Aizawa and Midnight looked shocked at the article, All Might merely grinning at them as he put his phone away. He was proud. He knew that Ryoko didn't like being in the spotlight or even doing hero work. But he also knew that she had all the makings of a great hero. She had a heart of gold, one of the many reasons he was attracted to her. He knew Ryo wanted her music to be her primary job and he respected that one hundred percent. But he couldn't help feeling giddy over her increase in hero work.

"She did text and say she was going to be late," Midnight says, pointed at Aizawa as he turns back to the students.

Aizawa gave no reaction, merely saying, "She better be here tomorrow."

All Might merely smiled, beginning to head around the room to talk and give advice to the students. He gave them some words of wisdom before he made his way out the door. He had a lunch date to meet.

He arrived at the restaurant, sitting down in a booth and waiting on his girlfriend. He, just like Aizawa, had received a 'I'm going to be late' text. He didn't mind. Lord knew how many times he had sent that exact text to Ryoko.

The chime to the restaurant's door went off and within seconds, Ryoko was in the seat across from him. Toshinori looked up to see Ryoko, chin resting on her fist with her elbow on the table. She was grinning.

"Hey handsome," She says, eyebrows raising as she does. Toshinori smiles at her, Ryoko relaxing and crossing her arms, still resting them on the table. "Hella sorry about being late, babe,"

"I heard you were going to help the students with their ultimate moves today." He closes his menu to look at his girlfriend.

She looks to the side. "Yeaaaaaaah, I was totally going to be there today," Her eyes turn to the man across the table. "But the phone's won't stop ringing."

Toshinori nods. He knew those days well. His eyes though, drift out the window. He watched as someone grabbed a lady's bag, running off with it. Ryoko turns, following his eyes. She sees it happens and hesitates before she turns to face forward, head moving to look down at the menu on their table.

"Someone else can have that one. I'm on my lunch break." As soon as she finishes her sentence, the watch on her left wrist goes off. Toshinori watches as she looks at it, visibly deflating before sadden eyes look up at him.

"Go." He says with a smile, Ryoko instantly starting to apologize, scooting out of the booth.

She leans over, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. Walking out, she points at him, calling over her shoulder, "I'm making it up to you later!" Toshinori watches out the window as Ryoko takes off running, a smile on his face as she does.

* * *

It was the next day and All Might snuck his way back into the gym. The students were working diligently, so much so that All Might was almost crushed by a falling piece of cement. He was saved, thankfully, by his successor, Midoriya. The retired hero was proud of him, seeing how far he had come from when he first met him.

He was distracted by a blur of red and black running passed him. He turned slightly, seeing Ryoko in front of Aizawa. She looked slightly disheveled.

"I'm late but I'm here!" She had just appeared before the teacher before she starts walking back out of the gym. "Gonna change then I'll be back!" She turns, walking by him quickly, though not without winking and grinning at him. He received a pat on the butt before she disappeared.

Midoriya, Kirishima, and Kaminari turned to their two teachers. "Ryoko is going to be here with us today?"

"Yes," Aizawa says before he turns his attention to Midnight. "Let's get everyone rounded up down here." Midnight nods before the two walk off, getting all of the students to the front of the gym. As they all gathered together, Ryoko walked in, walking by them to stand in front of them.

The students turned and Midoriya, personally, was taken aback. There Ryoko stood with her hair slicked back in a ponytail, in tennis shoes and leggings and a sports bra. The sports bra read "Training To Beat All Might" with the hero flexing on it. Midoriya could remember her having a shirt with the same wording on it. She's looking at her watch as she speaks, "Evening, kids!" The students say hello to her.

Ryoko drops her arm, grinning at the kids as she puts her hands on her hips. "Ultimate moves, huh?" A few nod. "Let's talk about it."

With her words, she turns and begins to climb up the side of one of the large pillars Cementoss had created. Many students were surprised as she scaled the side using only her hands and feet. Midoriya was especially surprised after seeing her fight with All For One on the news. It looked like she had been beaten up pretty badly. Once at the top, she turns to face the students again, still grinning.

"We all know what ultimate moves are right?" The students begin to nod. "I don't have to talk about it? Cool." She looks off to the side, doing a little dance, moving her shoulders before she looks back down at the students. "So I'm just going to give you examples then." She extends a hand, looking directly at Todoroki. "Sho,"

The boy says nothing as he extends his left arm, flames beginning to burn on his arm. Almost as soon as they were ignited, they're travelling through the air to Ryoko. Once they reach her extended arm, they shift and twist into a Phoenix to sit on her right shoulder. "Now," she begins, hands coming up, motioning as she speaks. "Real quick, for those that don't know, my quirk is firebending." She shrugs.

"If you all watched the news when the Kamino Ward fight was happening, then you saw my quirk and my ultimate move." Ryoko gestures to herself, smirking as she does. "I personally don't say the name of my ultimate move because I find that stupid and a waste of my time." She gestures to the students. "But that's just me. You guys can go ahead and pull an All Might and have a bajillion and three ultimate moves and shout out every single one of them." A few students laugh.

"So since I find names dumb, I'm not going to talk to you guys about that. I'll leave that up to one of your teachers." Ryoko moves her shoulder, the Phoenix taking flight with the movement. It flew down and over the students' heads, some going so far as to duck when it came near, even though it didn't aim to hit anyone. "Two of you saw my quirk during your exams." Midoriya looks at Ryoko right when she shoots him a wink. "In an _actual_ fight, my Phoenix would actually try to hit you guys. Most of the time it doesn't, it's just a scare tactic." The Phoenix flew back to Ryoko, circling around her head as her hand extended to gesture to All Might. "Babe, can I borrow you?"

He nods and takes a few steps forward. Once he's stationary, Ryoko moves her shoulder again, the Phoenix flying down. It flies to All Might, spreading its wings out over his head before it plummets down, engulfing All Might in flames.

The students begin to panic and Ryoko rolls her eyes. "The flames aren't going to burn him unless I want to." She snaps her fingers, the flames pulling up from All Might, twirling through the air and up to Ryoko. The flames changed back into the Phoenix once again. "Anyway, that's another move that you guys saw at Kamino Ward, if you watched." She rubs her hands together, grinning. "Now let me show you a move I haven't used in a while."

Ryoko leans over, a hand pressing against one of the pillars to her right. She's grinning still, her other hand coming to rest on her hip as she crosses one leg over the other. Everyone watched as the Phoenix faded to embers. A moment of silence passed through the gym before a loud crack could be heard. A pillar to Ryoko's left suddenly lit up with flames, cracking and crumbling, destroying the entire thing. A few students stared in awe as the flames returned to Ryoko, forming a solid cube as the pillar was left to a pile of mere rubble.

"That move isn't used a lot because it can cause a lot of damage." She's holding the cube of fire in her hands. "However," She gestures to Iida and Ojiro with her empty hand. "If I was fighting Power Loader in the same way that you guys were," Ryoko grins. "How easy would it have been to use a move like that?

"Fun fact," Ryoko says, hand jerking and the cube changes, twirling into a ball as Ryoko spins it on her fingertip. "I have one ultimate move." Murmurs pass through the students and the redhead simple smiles. "Phoenix Rising. That's it. But with that one Phoenix, I can do so much." She brings her hands up, tossing the ball of fire down at the students. It lands before them and once it hits the ground, it combusts and turns to embers, disappearing into the air. "Keep that in mind when you're creating a hundred and nine ultimate moves." She laughs before she claps twice. "Alright, let's go!"

The students return to their varying spots among the platforms that Cementoss had created. Ryoko would walk through, observing their progress. She was watching Ojiro when Ashido, Tsuyu, and Ochako approached her. "Hey, Ryoko?"

"Yo?" She asks, eyes never leaving Ojiro as her hands move to rest on her lower back.

"What drew you to All Might?" Ashido asks. "What told you he was the one?"

"Have you seen that man?" Ryoko asks, weight shifting, head tilting as she continued to watch the student work.

"Yeah,"

"Okay then." Ryoko grins before she finally looks at the girls. She laughs slightly as she turns back to watching Ojiro practice against one of Ectoplasm's clones. The girls exchanged glances and, for a moment, they all debated leaving the redhead alone. As they started to leave, the woman spoke. "Sometimes they say something. Sometimes they do something. Sometimes you just know." Ryoko shrugs, weight shifting back and forth before she walks over to Ojiro. "Put your back into it dude!" The three students exchanged glances before they went back to working on their ultimate moves.

The period ended, the students rounding up by the entrance like they had when Ryoko arrived. The redhead stood beside their homeroom teacher. She grinned, gesturing at the twenty kids. "Boom," She says, a fist colliding with her open hand. "You guys got this shit." Some students smile at her, others nod. She pats Aizawa on the back before she turns, beginning to leave the gym. "I'm rooting for you!"

* * *

Ryoko stood before her boss's desk, weight shifting anxiously as she processed what he said. His eyes were locked on her, never moving as he waited for her to say something. Her hands slide into her back pockets as she glances down. She pauses for a moment before she looks up, finally meeting his eyes. He can see that her eyes were more watery than they had been.

"I don't understand," She finally says, eyebrows furrowing together.

"You're taking a vacation."

"Yeah, but," She pauses, smiling and laughing slightly. "I don't get why,"

"You're overworking yourself." Ryoko's head turns, looking to the side as she bites the inside of her cheek. "You answered and responded to thirty two calls in the span of a week." Ryoko turns back to look at Endeavor, releasing her cheek from her teeth. "That's at least four calls a day."

She thinks of shrugging but goes against it, rocking back on her heels as she glances down at her boots and the floor. "Don't you think I'm the one who should be saying I'm overworked-"

"The last time I let you convince me you weren't overworked, you were hospitalized for drug and alcohol overdose."

She begins to bite at her lip. "... That was four years ago."

"That's what you also said four years ago." Her eyes flicker up to meet his cold and hardened gaze. "And you told me it wouldn't happen again. I trusted you and then it happened again."

A hand slides out of her pocket to grip at her other arm, eyes shifting to stare at the wall to her right. "I'm not saying your going to overdose again, but it's been a week." She wanted to tell him it had been a week and a half since Kamino Ward but she couldn't find the nerve to open her mouth. "You hardly gave yourself time to heal, let alone help All Might."

"He doesn't need me,"

"Is that what you think?"

Her eyes flicked over to him. Endeavor was leaning back in his chair, one hand on the desk while the other rested on his thigh. He tapped the desk twice. "He lost his power, his job, and was beaten up badly."

"This isn't about him." She says quickly. She was hurt, her boss thinking that she wasn't doing everything she could for Toshinori. Perhaps he spoke some truth about her not healing herself. She was refusing to change in front of All Might, knowing that he would not only see how she struggled to raise her arms high over her head but also the large purple bruise she had earned on her back. She couldn't lie, she used her quirk on herself every time she went into the field - using her quirk to warm her muscles up so she wouldn't be in pain while she worked.

Endeavor conceded, changing the subject. "I've seen you overwork yourself before and I don't want to see it again. You've put yourself out of work for weeks before. I can't have my top sidekick out of work for prolonged periods."

Her jaw clenches, grip on her own arm tightening. "I'm not your sidekick."

His own head tilts, never once letting his eyes wander from her. "Then what are you? Do you want to be your own hero?"

"Hell no!" She says quickly.

"Then what are you? If you're not my sidekick, what are you, Ryoko?"

She pauses, looking down at her feet. One leg kicks out, tapping her heel on the ground twice before it swings back in, Ryoko standing up straight. She looks at Endeavor, her voice low as she speaks, "Done with this conversation."

Endeavor shifts, the hand from his knee coming up, elbow resting on the desk as his hand holds his chin. She watches him blink once, twice, then he speaks. "I'll see you in a week, Ryoko."

Her weight shifts again. "What about the paperwork for the calls-"

"I'll handle it."

She swallows the lump in her throat, jaw clenching again. She turned on her heel and left, snatching up her bag as she did. She had dropped it on the table in his office thinking this was going to be a simple conversation. She thought wrong.

Ryoko stood on the other side of the door to Endeavor's office, letting the door slam shut. She took a deep breath and pulled her phone out of her pocket. Unlocking it, she goes to her messages and creates a new text. She decided she needed her best friend. She hadn't seen or really spoken with him in a while, the last time being before I Island she realized. She also knew All Might was busy, visiting Tartarus to try and get information from All For One. She didn't want to bother him, instead, her fingers typed on her phone to text Present Mic.

 _SOS_ is all she sends. Within seconds, Mic had read the text and was typing back.

 _Usual spot. Ten minutes_.

She closes her phone and slides it back into her back pocket. She exits Endeavor Hero Agency, ignoring everyone who told her goodbye. Her mind was hyper focused on getting to the restaurant that Mic and her always ate at. She wasn't even hungry, but she wasn't going to turn down meeting Mic at their spot.

Ryoko walked inside, seeing Mic already sitting at a table for two. She walks over, pulling the chair out as she goes to sit down, Mic looking up at her.

"I already got you the vegan menu." He says, passing it over to her and gesturing to the glass of water he had gotten her as well. She was slightly surprised he didn't order for her. The two did know each other's orders by heart.

As soon as she sat down, Mic could see something was wrong. She said not a word, unusually characteristic of Ryo. Mic knew something was going on with his best friend. He leans forward, elbows resting on the table as he smiles at her. "What did Endeavor want?"

She leans back in her chair. Her arm comes up to rest on the back of the chair, eyes not meeting Mic's. "He forced to take the next week off."

"Whore." Mic states immediately. Ryoko's eyes meet his and he rolls them, the redhead knowing it was him showing her that he was taking her side. Though, she had no doubt in that.

Ryoko shrugs, "Claims I'm overworking myself."

"He should be lucky you're even there working under him. You could have been on your own for years now."

She shrugs again, eyes shifting to look off to the side again. Mic thinks, trying to get Ryoko to open up to him. Something was wrong and he wanted to help his friend.

"Hey," She turns to him. "You never told me what was up at that meeting with the Principal." Ryoko looks down in her lap and Mic knew it was a touchy subject. She didn't want to think about it, but Mic had to know in order to help. "Did something happen at I Island?" The redhead gives a small nod and Mic immediately speaks, leaning forward more, "I'll kill All Might, I will,"

"I, uh, had a miscarriage."

It felt like the Earth had stopped spinning for Mic. He didn't know Ryoko had even been pregnant. He did know just how much that meant to Ryoko. She had told Mic all about her dream wedding with All Might, he knew his best friend was looking forward to everything that came with marriage.

Mic's mouth slowly drops open, the waitress standing beside their table just seconds after the words left Ryoko's mouth. His eyes never leave the singer as she looks up to give a small and forced smile to the waitress as she greeted them. It's when Ryoko looks back at Mic, letting him order first, that he realizes that the Earth is indeed still spinning.

He grabs both of their menus, putting them together and handing them to the waitress. "Yeah, no," He turns from the confused waitress to his confused best friend. "We're getting ice cream."

* * *

Mic and Ryoko sat curled up against each other on Ryoko's couch. The two were sniffling, eyes glued on the television scene as they watched the same romance movie for the umpteenth time. A bowl of popcorn sat in Ryoko's lap, the two occasionally grabbing a handful and stuffing their mouths.

"If it's with that guy, go." The movie spoke, the man speaking to the woman. "Go! I lost you once, I think I can do it again,"

Ryo let out a sigh, lips downturning as tears welled in her eyes. The two of them had seen the movie more times than they could count. They both knew how it end, but it still made them bawl like babies. Thus making it the perfect movie to watch when they needed to release pent up emotions.

"What do you want?" The man on screen asks the woman, tears in her eyes as she shakes her head.

"I have to go," Ryoko's head rolls back with a groan as they watch the man walk away from the car, letting her leave. Mic simply hands her a small handful of popcorn, something she eagerly takes and shoves into her mouth.

The door opens, both occupants on the couch turning to look at the sound. All Might closes the door behind him, turning once it's closed. Ryoko shoves the popcorn bowl onto Mic's lap, standing up as she does.

"Hey," Mic calls, eyes going back to the television screen, hand going back to shoveling popcorn into his mouth.

Toshinori's eyes go from his girlfriend, dressed in his huge white shirt and pajama shorts, to her red and puffy eyes, to the sad movie that played on the television screen. Present Mic was also seated on his couch with pajamas on. The man simply raises an eyebrow at his girlfriend. The scene he walked in on was a sign he had seen many times before, something was upsetting Ryoko. That, and she was home earlier than expected. He thought she was still out in the field until late into the night.

"I have the next week off," She shrugs, eyes looking around and avoiding his gaze.

Toshinori, still dressed in his Silver Age hero outfit, starts to reach backwards, hand going for the doorknob. "Ice cream?"

"Already got it!" Mic calls, speaking around popcorn, eyes still on the screen.

Toshinori lets out a sigh, "Okay good." He looks back at his girlfriend, catching her small smile. He smiles back and walks over to her, taking her hand in his. "I'll change and join you," She nods as he squeezes her hand, beginning to head up the stairs.

Halfway up, he hears his name and turns around, seeing Ryoko at the bottom of the stairs. She shifts slightly, "How'd it go?"

"As well as expected,"

"Oh," She hesitates, beginning to bite her lip.

He merely smiles at her, "Ten minutes and I'll be down," She returns his smile and nods, heading back to the couch.

Toshinori made his way back downstairs, finding himself sat between Mic and Ryoko. It always baffled him, how he was clearly dating Ryoko and yet also Mic, it seemed. He never thought, when he entered a relationship with Ryoko, or anyone for that matter, that he would also have her best friend clinging to him. That's how it went, as the movie progressed, with Ryoko's head on his shoulder and Mic's shoulder pressed against his other one. He held the popcorn, the two musicians grabbing from it. He was also in charge of tissues, passing a new one to either person when he heard a sniffle.

He never pictured himself in this situation.

"Hi sweetheart. I'm sorry I haven't been able to be here to read to ya,"

It was the end of the movie, the popcorn was gone and the tissues were in short supply as well. Toshinori had seen this movie a few times, thought not nearly as often as the other two had. He knew how this movie ended, in its bittersweet way. But he also knew how the other two would fair, both having streams of tears running down their faces.

"I didn't know what to do. I was afraid you were never coming back."

"I'll always come back."

The retired hero merely held up two tissues, one in each of his hands, both eagerly taken as the other two sighed. The waterworks were about to overflow.

And overflow they did. Both heroes sobbed, watching as the nurse walked into the room to see the two had passed together in their sleep, holding hands. The movie ended, the credits rolling but Toshinori remained in his seat, letting the other two compose themselves. Ryoko put a hand over her heart, letting out a deep breath before her head turned to glance at Mic. Mic meets her gaze.

"A classic,"

"Truly." Ryoko responds and that was Toshinori's clue to get up. Taking the popcorn bowl with him, he went to the kitchen. The dishes were already done and he couldn't justify leaving one bowl. Well, one bowl and two spoons. It appeared the two had already eaten the ice cream before Toshinori had returned home. He set about doing the last few dishes, the other two standing and stretching.

Within seconds, Toshinori could hear music being blasted from the living room. It startled him, the volume at which Mic had decided to play it at. He turned his head, seeing the two beginning to jump around and dance, singing the song as loud as they could. It was hard to believe they were just ugly crying at a movie.

 _Champagne, cocaine, gasoline! And most things in between! I roam the city in a shopping cart, a pack of camels and a smoke alarm! This night is heating up! Raise hell and turn it up! Saying, "If you go out, you might pass out in a drain pipe," oh yeah, don't threaten me with a good time!_

The two jumped and danced around the living room. They danced to one of the many songs they had collaborated on. Mic helped with the lyrics and the beat while Ryoko finished the lyrics and sang. The song ended and the two merely continued to dance to whatever song came up on shuffle. They ended their mini dance session with the song they claimed as theirs, _I Want It That Way_ , singing and serenading one another.

Toshinori set about cleaning up the house, noticing that they had disappeared upstairs. Knowing the two, he wouldn't be surprised if they were in Ryoko's self named "music room." It housed all of her instruments and was where the two would always end up when working on music together.

* * *

He finished cleaning the living room and kitchen. He didn't do any massive detail cleaning, but it felt nice to know the dishes were completely put away and the living room didn't look like two adults were stuffing their mouths with snacks. Toshinori still couldn't do a whole lot with his hand still bandaged. Regardless, he was thankful it wasn't in the sling anymore. He also knew Ryoko would be appreciative of the cleaning no matter how big or small it was.

He made his way up the stairs and into his and Ryoko's room. He didn't see the need to check the music room, deciding to leave the two friends to whatever their hearts desired. But as he walked into their room, flipping the light on, he could see two bodies in his bed. They were asleep, legs spread out across the bottom of the bed. Their arms were spread out over numerous pillows. The way their elbows touched showed their matching tattoos perfectly.

Toshinori quickly flipped the light switch back off. He didn't want to wake them. He began to back out of the room, slowly closing the door, but a head of blonde hair popped up. A tired Mic turned to him, noticing him.

"Where ya going?"

Toshinori pauses, taking a step back inside to talk to Mic. "I'll just take the couch,"

Mic makes a face before he gestures for Toshinori to enter the bed. Toshinori doesn't move. "It's fine, Mic, you two can stay in here and,"

"Forget that, just get in here."

Toshinori hesitates again before he steps inside his room, closing the door behind him. He knew Mic would only continue to pester him so he figured it was best to concede while ahead.

Peeling back the covers, he climbs in on his side of the bed. As soon as he's laying down, Ryoko shifts. Her head turns to him, moving to lay on his chest. Her left arm comes up to wrap around his waist, relaxing against him as she does. Toshinori turns to glance down at his girlfriend but can see Mic looking at him. Locking eyes with his fellow teacher, Mic simply gestures to Ryoko before his head collides with the pillow. Toshinori looks back to his girlfriend. His hand comes up, moving a strand of hair out of her face and behind her ear. The same hand moves to her hand on his waist, giving it a small squeeze before his eyes close, welcoming sleep.


	13. Chapter 12

Days passed, Ryoko thankful she could dive into her music to distract herself from her forced vacation. She was thankful she had Mic, who joined her nearly every day to aid her in her music writing adventures. When her boyfriend would return home from UA, Mic would leave. The couple would sit and eat dinner together, Ryoko distracting herself again by talking to Toshinori about his students and his work.

"So, wait," She says, speaking around a mouthful of her salad. "Midoriya wants you to introduce him to Nighteye?" The man nods, munching on his own salad. Ryoko pauses, swallowing her mouthful as she continues to stare at her boyfriend. "And you won't do it?"

"I don't think the first years should be participating in Hero Studies."

Ryoko continues to stare at Toshinori, waiting for him to make eye contact with her. "Why?"

"They're not ready."

"And a year will change that?"

Toshinori hesitates, turning back to his food. "I don't know, Ryo,"

"Exactly," Ryoko says, arms crossing, forgetting about her dinner. She placed her elbows on the table, leaning forwards. "What's gonna happen? If Midoriya meets Nighteye, what are you afraid of?"

The man doesn't say anything, merely bringing a forkful of salad to his mouth.

"Afraid he's gonna find out? That Nighteye will tell him?" Ryoko pauses again, watching her boyfriend intently. "That he shouldn't be your successor?"

Blue eyes flicker up to look at the redhead and that's when she knew she had hit the nail on the head. "You and I both know how Nighteye is. He's going to tell Midoriya everything. Especially the part where he doesn't think Midoriya should be your successor."

Toshinori's fork stills, eyes still looking at his plate. "I don't know what to do," He finally says, voice quiet.

"Talk to him." His head lifts to meet Ryoko's gaze. Her hands come up, surrendering. "You're gonna do whatever it is you want to do." Her hands come down. "But I think it would be best for him to hear it all from you." She smiles before her hands grab her plate and she stands, heading over to the sink to begin the dishes.

* * *

Toshinori ended up taking Ryoko's advice. He met with Midoriya and Togota, aiding his successor in meeting his former sidekick. Ultimately, he decided against telling Midoriya everything. Especially in front of Togota, Toshinori simply couldn't bring himself to do it. He failed to tell Ryoko about it, allowing himself some more time to think about it all. It was a tricky situation.

A few days pass, Toshinori and Ryoko running through a trail. It was something the two of them decided to do together. Toshinori didn't want to fall behind and wished to continue exercising. Ryoko, while on her 'vacation,' decided to join him. She got up every morning, begrudgingly so, with him and went for a run. It had become routine, down to Ryoko's words every morning.

"It wouldn't kill you to sleep an hour, ya know."

She had gone back to work, however, so the two would go for their run after UA's classes let out for the day. As they ran, they both felt a presence behind them. Both look over their shoulders, not faltering a single step. Ryoko's eyes widened while Toshinori's mouth dropped. Midoriya was running up to them with an intensity that Ryoko had never seen before. He didn't pass them, didn't try to stop them, he merely kept up with their pace.

Ryoko looked forward again, listening as the boy spoke. "Did you know everything all along?" All Might's pace didn't falter either, Midoriya continuing to keep up as he talked. "The fact that Nighteye knew about One For All, and that Togota was a candidate for your succession… you knew all of that didn't you...? Why didn't you tell me anything?"

The redhead instantly glances over at her boyfriend, who did his best to keep his expression neutral and focus forward. She knew he was going to make his own decisions, but she was always deeply aware of how his actions would affect Midoriya. She turns around, facing the student as she continues to jog backwards.

She gives the student a small smile before she turns her attention to Toshinori. His eyes were on her, seeing as she was now running backwards. "I'm out," She says, turning back around. She picks up her own pace, moving from a jog to a run.

Ryoko had already told Toshinori how she felt about the situation. She had heard the story before too. Hell, she told herself, she lived through parts of it. She didn't like to think about everything that had happened six years ago, so she ran farther away from the two, avoiding hearing the story yet again. She also figured it would be best for the two to talk one on one, without a redhead hovering.

* * *

Ryoko sat in the waiting room, her head in her hands as her knee bounced. Her hands shift to run through her hair.

"What are you doing here?"

Her head lifts, turning to the person that spoke. There stood Nighteye, her boyfriend's - well, ex boyfriend's - sidekick. If her head wasn't so fuzzy and clouded, she'd put more emphasize on this being their first meeting.

A moment of silence pauses between them before he speaks. "You're drunk,"

She turns her head away from him, hands going up to rub at her forehead. "Go away,"

"What made you think you could be here?" Ryoko continues to rub her forehead, knowing full well that he was glaring intently at her. "Who even called you?"

She sighs, "Nunya,"

"Nunya?"

"Nunya business," Her head turns, irritated eyes looking up at the man. He continued to glare before he was tapped on the shoulder, a doctor taking him back into the hospital. The two disappeared, Ryoko knowing full well that they were going to see All Might. Her head turns back, hanging low as her hands cover her face. She takes a deep breath, hearing footsteps approach.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" A nurse, she presumed. She wanted to tell them to fuck off and leave her alone, but all that left her body was a sob.

* * *

Ryoko wasn't sure when she had stopped running, but there she stood. Taking in deep breaths, she tried to push away her thoughts of the past. It was an awful time for her and she wanted to not dwell on it. She took a deep breath, pulling herself together as she heard footsteps beginning to approach..

She begins to jog in place as Midoriya and All Might approach her. She smiles, moving to fall back in line with Toshinori's pace, running beside him again. She glances over her shoulder, looking at the student as he continued to follow the two. The conversation couldn't have gone too poorly, Ryoko decided, as the two men did not exude that vibe.

Ryoko turns, running backwards as she smiles. She winks at Midoriya. "Come on, kid, pick up the pace!" Midoriya smiles back at her as she begins to run faster backwards. She slows for a moment. She preps herself and then launches her body into the air. She flips backwards, hands helping her to stabilize herself as she finishes the back handspring. She jumps slightly after she lands, using the momentum to turn herself around. Ryoko continues to run, staying by Toshinori's side.

Midoriya's mouth dropped open slightly, watching as Toshinori glanced over at the redhead. "Show off,"

Ryoko laughs. "Jealous." She states, the three continuing to run. "You were never really flexible."

* * *

Midoriya and his classmates entered the room. It was odd enough that all four of them had received a call from their hero studies at the same time, but to also see their homeroom teacher and Gran Torino in the same room was even weirder. The Big Three from their school was there as well. Midoriya was curious, wondering why they were called to the room. He turns, glancing around. He sees Ryoko, standing in the corner. Her shoulder was pressed against the wall, back facing the majority of the room. Her head was down, focused on scrolling through her phone. Midoriya was about to head over to the redhead when Sir Nighteye began to speak.

"By virtue of the information everyone provided me with, I was able to make substantial progress with my investigation. I have called this meeting for none other than to share information, as well as to discuss how to proceed in dealing with the plots of a small organization named the Eight Precepts of Death."

Midoriya glanced around his friends before everyone was asked to be seated. The table was odd. It was a large rectangle but the middle was cut out as if someone was meant to pace around inside the table. Midoriya looked to his left and right. There were so many heroes here!

"So," Ryoko starts, all eyes turning to her. But Midoriya notices she's holding Nighteye's gaze. The two were sat directly across from one another. "Why am I here?" The two heroes continued to stare at one another. The tension in the room grew heavy, no one else daring to speak. "Cause, let's be real, you don't want me here."

Ryoko taps the table twice, eyes still locked in a staring contest with Nighteye. Finally, she smirks, but Midoriya can see that it holds no humor like it usually would. "Man, you just can't let it go, can you?"

"My Foresight is never wrong,"

"And I told you not to fucking look at me." Midoriya felt a chill run up his spine. He glances at his classmates, all of them looking shocked, confused, and lost. Midoriya was sure he was the only one who could possibly know about Ryoko and Nighteye's relationship. He never would have thought they would hold such animosity towards each other.

Ryoko taps the desk again, twice. She nods her head, finally looking away from Nighteye.

"I'm out." She says, pushing her chair back, standing up. Many heroes, along with the students, began to talk. They were surprised at Ryoko's words and actions. Nighteye didn't move a muscle. She steps around her chair, beginning to head to the door.

Midoriya and Kirishima stand, the latter calling her name. One of her hands come up, waving the students off. Before she gets far, Midoriya speaks, "Ms Ryoko, we need you! We need your help! There's a little girl there. She's been injured and she needs us!" Ryoko pauses, body going stiff as everyone in the room goes silent. Midoriya pauses, watching Ryoko's back. "She needs you,"

A moment passes before Ryoko moves, turning back around. "Start with that next time." Midoriya and Kirishima both release a sigh, returning to their seats as the room's tension released. She walks back over to her seat, still standing as she stares down Nighteye. The room grew silent as the two reentered their staring contest.

"If I'm in this," She starts, hand coming up to point at Nighteye. "You are going to treat me with respect and as your fellow hero." Midoriya looks at Ryoko, seeing how tense her body was. " _Not_ as All Might's girlfriend. _Not_ as the drug addict you heard about. _Not_ as the alcoholic you met. And _not_ as the singer you see online." Her hand drops, her other hand clenching into a fist. "I am Ryo. And you will treat me as such."

A moment of silence passes over the room, Ryoko and Nighteye still staring at one another. "It's been six years, dude." Ryoko's weight shifts, hands coming up slightly. Nighteye pauses before he nods, gesturing for Ryoko to take her seat. She does, releasing a sigh as she glances over at Aizawa. He stares at her, to which she simply raises her eyebrows, getting comfortable in her seat.

"Well then, let's begin."

Bubble Girl, one of Nighteye's sidekicks, began to speak. "Since about two weeks prior, we at the Nighteye Offices have been independently observing a certain villain group known as the Eightfold Cleansers!"

"What was the hook?" A hero asks.

"There was an accident involving a thief gang known as the Reservoir Dogs." Bubble Girl continued. "The police cleaned everything up as just an accident, but there were many points that made no sense and we began to track them."

"I am a sidekick, Centipeder." The man spoke, standing behind Nighteye. "I have been conducting the tracking and observation as per the instructions put forth by Nighteye. Within this one-year period that I have been investigating, there has been a rapid increase in contact, both between members of the underground organization, as well as people outside of the group. They appear to be an organization moving with the intent to expand and accumulate funds.

"Also, shortly after the commencement of investigation… He made contact with one Bubaigawara Jin. Villain name, "Twice." They were particularly cautious of being followed and I was unable to continue tracking them, but here I was able to cooperate with the police. They were able to confirm that during this meeting some kind of skirmish occurred."

Gran Torino began to speak, eventually directing his conversation towards Midoriya. Ryoko tuned them out, glancing at her watch. She can see a text message from Toshinori. He was asking about the meeting, how it was going. She didn't want to think of it, merely shaking her wrist to readjust her jacket before her fingers interlock and lay on her stomach. She relaxes more into the chair.

"Hey," Another hero speaks, glancing at the UA students in the room. "Even if they're UA students, what's with the brats? Can't talk with them around." Ryoko leaned forward in her seat as the hero continued, "We're burnin' daylight just getting to the real issue of what they're plotting."

Before Ryoko could say anything, the hero Fat Gum, stood up. His chair flew as he gestured to Kirishima and Amajiki. "Enough outta you - these two 'ere are super important witnesses! Besides, I think there's a _ton_ o' people who're meetin' for the first time, so better get to it! The name's Fat Gum, pleasure to meet y'all!"

Ryoko merely saluted to the hero, who ended up waving back to her, before she relaxed back into her seat. Nighteye interjected, "We have reason to believe that the Eightfold Cleansers have made the dispersal of unlicensed goods part of their livelihood. As such, I have requested help from heroes familiar with that line of work."

"Long ago, we smashed those kinda things to pieces!" Fat Gum explained, still standing. "Then, yesterday, in Red Riot's debut battle! Tamaki was shot by somethin' new, the likes we ain't never seen! A drug that erases quirks."

Many heroes, shocked at the news, glanced over at Aizawa. Ryoko looked at the student in question. His classmate, Togota, asked about his well being. Thankfully, after sleeping, the student's quirk returned to him.

"If it recovers, no need to worry." The hero who spoke ill about the students spoke again. "Nothin' fatal."

"No," Nighteye spoke, gesturing to Aizawa. "I'll leave that explanation to Eraserhead."

"It's a bit different from my erasure. That's because I'm not attacking the quirk itself." The group began to talk about Aizawa's erasure and the drug's erasure. Ryoko's wrist buzzed, tuning out the conversation as she glanced at her watch. This time it was her boss, Endeavor, asking about when she would be done from the meeting. She rubbed at her forehead. This meeting was taking longer than she had expected.

"There were no other abnormalities in Tamaki's body! It was only, I mean only, the quirk that was attacked! Not a peep from the gang that shot 'im! The gun's in pieces too! Plus they didn't have no other bullets in their possession 'sides the one they fired!" Fat Gum exclaimed before he turned to look at Kirishima. "However, thanks to Kirishima riskin' 'is life to deflect the bullet, we were able ta obtain da contents of that one shot!"

The students and even a few heroes were impressed by Kirishima's feat. Ryoko sat up in her seat, leaning against the table. She locked eyes with his as he scanned the room. _You good?_ She mouths and, once he answers with a nod, she returns the nod before she relaxes in her chair again.

"As for what was inside," Fat Gum began, Ryoko's attention turning back to him. "Something truly sickening came out. It contained human blood and human cells."

The room grew silent, Ryoko's mind instantly beginning to turn. There had been news about the new drugs that were now on the streets. The quirk enhancers that the villains were getting their hands on, making everything much more difficult. But she supposed that was the point. Ryoko leaned forward, elbows resting on the table as her palms pressed together, fingers going to rest against her mouth. Human blood and human cells. A person with a quirk like that was beginning to make things much more difficult for the heroes.

"Ryoko," Nighteye spoke, causing Ryoko's eyes to look up and meet his. "The villain you caught the other day was also a part of this."

"He was a purse snatcher."

"Who stole to purchase the drugs." Ryoko shrugged, conceding before Nighteye continued speaking. "The quirk of the Capo, Chisaki is named "overhaul." It's a power that can disassemble and reassemble any target. A quirk that can dismantle, to destroy and repair at once. That, along with the bullets that can destroy quirks." Ryoko's eyes drifted to the two students that were studying under Nighteye, the two visibly upset. "Chisaki has a daughter, though one without a birth certificate, so the particulars aren't clear. When these two encountered her," Nighteye looked over at Togota and Midoriya. "Her arms and legs were wrapped in a great many bandages."

Immediately, the room goes silent. The Pro Heroes, especially the ones with ample amounts of experience under their belts, knew exactly what Nighteye was referring to. Ryoko felt the breath leave her lungs, as if she had been punched. Her head leans forward, colliding with her hands as she begins to think over the entire situation.

Ryuukyuu spoke first, "It can't be… To do something so hideous,"

"Whaddya expect of this world of super humans? All it takes is the thought and any son of a bitch can do anything." Gran Torino added, but Ryoko kept her head down. The other students were questioning the situation.

"Put it simply, we're saying that they're probably making the bullets out of her body." The students were all stunned. Ryoko's hand drags down her face, coming to rest on her chin as she looks over at Aizawa. He returned her gaze.

"Damn," She mutters. She nods her head a few times, Aizawa looking away. Ryoko sighs, her attention turning back to Nighteye.

"We don't know if they're trafficking them for profit. At their current stage of development, they're not very close to completion. Be that as it may, if, hypothetically, they were using them as a testing phase and using them as a sample for presentations to gather comrades,"

"Proof?" Ryoko speaks, eyes shifting to her. Nighteye looks at her before back down at his papers before him.

"There's no definitive proof." Ryoko gives a nod but Nighteye continues to speak. "However, say they gathered allies all across the country and amassed the funds - what if the completed bullets could take quirks themselves and completely eradicate them…? Many dark, dark ideas spring to one's mind."

"Just imaginin' it's gonna make my bowels seethe with rage! C'mon, we gotta search their hideout!" Fat Gum begins to shout, clenching his fist. The sudden outburst caused Ryoko's eyebrows to lift, eyes turning to the hero.

"So you're saying that if these dudes had been able to take the girl under protection, then this whole problem would've been resolved right then and there!?"

"I take responsibility for all of it," Nighteye speaks, his voice calm and even. "So I'd appreciate it if you didn't put the blame on them. Even though they didn't know about her predicament. They tried their best to save her." Ryoko turns to look at the two students. They both looked visibly upset, angry, and shaken. They abruptly stand from their seats, their chairs flying backwards. "The ones who are most frustrated here and now are these two."

"We won't fail you this time, Eri!" Midoriya shouts.

Togota clenches his fist and jaw, "We'll protect her!"

"Yes, and that will be our goal."

"A rescue mission," Ryoko says, eyes staring off blankly, nodding. She looks at Nighteye, hand rubbing her chin. "A dangerous one at that."

"If she's even still alive." Ryoko turns to the hero, the same one that has been against the interns being there from the very beginning. She could already feel her blood beginning to boil. As if working with Nighteye wasn't enough. "If all your guesses are correct, this leader of theirs probably sees the girl as the core of his plan and someone worth hiding. But there must've been some sorta trouble, because she got out! Not to mention, our junior heroes here got a glimpse of her!"

Ryoko rolls her eyes, putting her elbow down on the table. The motion causes a loud sound to radiate throughout the room. She had gained everyone's attention. "Fucking spit it out all ready." Ryoko motions with her hand at the man.

"If you were him, would you just bring her back to the main hideout? I know I wouldn't." Ryoko's hand goes limp, beginning to process all that he was saying. "We can charge in, guns blazing, but it's all for nothing if she ain't there. Any way to be sure where he's keeping her?"

Ryoko shrugs, Ryuukyuu speaking, "He raises some good questions, Nighteye."

"Even I can't argue with that logic," Ryoko leans back in her chair, elbow sliding off the table as she does.

"Indeed," Nighteye speaks, looking at the hero that raised all the questions. "That is the issue at hand. Beyond the unclear nature and scope of their plan, should we fail to end this decisively in one strike, they won't give us another chance. Which brings us to the organizations Hassaikai has contacted, as well as Hassaikai's verified properties! Through our investigation, we've compiled an extensive list! I'll be asking each of you to check out certain groups and locations on your own. We need to narrow the list down!"

A hero, one Ryoko didn't recognize, begins to speak. "Gotcha. So that's why us minor heroes are here too. Take a look," They gesture to the map displayed on the screen behind Nighteye. "There's a connection between each hero's home territory and the list of locations. We were chosen because of our familiarity with the neighborhoods."

"You're mighty cautious for a former sidekick of All Might, doing things all roundabout like this!" Fat Gum shouted, hands pressed down on the table while he was still standing. "While we're twiddling our thumbs, little Eri's probably out there crying somewhere!"

"We can't do things the way All Might would!" Nighteye spoke, his voice raising in volume slightly. "We must rely on analysis and precaution to raise our odds of saving her as much as possible!"

Ryoko was torn. She agreed with Fat Gum and Nighteye. She knew All Might would have rushed in and smashed the door down. He wouldn't let anything stand between him and an injured child. But she also knew that they needed to move and work based off the information that everyone in the room could gather. She glanced around, many of the heroes beginning to get heated about the entire situation. Gran Torino, Fat Gum, and some others were chattering excessively. But, out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Aizawa raised his hand, gaining the attention of the entire room.

"Um, can I say something?" Nighteye turned to Aizawa. "I'm not exactly sure how your ability works, Sir Nighteye, but why not use your foresight to see what sort of fate awaits us? Going forward without that knowledge seems irrational."

"I, can't do that." Ryoko's head whips to look at Nighteye. She frowns, eyebrows furrowing together as she did. "My ability has limitations. Once activated, it has a twenty-four hour cooldown period. In other words, I can only view one hour of a single person's life each day. The images appear in my mind panel by panel, like a flashback. After using it, it's like I can watch recorded footage of that person's entire life… Think of it that way."

The redhead leans back in her seat, arms crossing as she continues to listen to Nighteye. "But the entirety of the film plays out from a perspective close to the person in question. What I end up seeing is his or her actions and faint glimpses of the surrounding environment."

"That sounds like more than enough. We could still learn plenty." Aizawa continued to look at Nighteye. "So why can't you do it?"

The man leans forward, adjusting his glasses. "Well, for one thing, what if, in the near future, what awaited the person was death? A cruel and merciless death, even. What then?"

Ryoko rolls her eyes. "Now we ask for permission?"

Nighteye's hand drops from his face. "If I am to respect you, then you are to respect me."

Ryoko shrugs, before bringing her hand up and saluting the hero. "Aye, aye Captain." No one moves, Nighteye doesn't even blink, continuing to stare at the redhead. "That was me respecting you believe it or not. You're the main hero on this case so I'm gonna listen to you." Ryoko's hands come up in surrender. "Ask my boss, I salute the man every goddamn day."

Nighteye hesitates for a moment, watching as Ryoko grins at him. He turns his attention back to Aizawa. Her smile falls. "I've trained my quirk to maximize the success rate of every action I take. I use it to all but ensure victory in battle. It's not meant to recklessly view situations with so many uncertainties."

"Seeing if we're gonna die sounds pretty darn useful!" Ryoko turns to look at the hero, the same one that has been complaining about the students. She was really beginning to get tired of his mouth. "Then we could come up with a plan to stay alive!"

"I'm not a fortune teller." Nighteye tells him. "There's no guarantee that the fate I see can be avoided!"

"I don't get it, Nighteye! C'mon. Why don'tcha take a look at me? I'll avoid whatever life's got in store for me!"

Nighteye hung his head. "I can't."

Silence passes over the room. Ryoko glances around. Some heroes were confused, the students not understanding either. Gran Torino, Midoriya, and herself were the only three that knew why Nighteye would not use his quirk. Ryoko shifts in her seat, clearing her throat as she does. "There's a kid to save." Silence remains in the room for another moment before Nighteye abruptly stands up.

"Confirm the girl's location and take measures to save her. Once we're as sure as we can be, let's bring this matter to a swift resolution. I thank you all for your help." Nighteye passed out the case files to everyone in the room before the meeting was over.

* * *

Ryoko shifted her weight, hands in her pocket as the elevator doors opened. She steps out, seeing Aizawa and the students of UA. He was standing up talking to them when Ryoko walked over. As she walked over, she squared back her shoulders and put on a grin. Once to her friend, she threw her arm over his shoulder. She looks at the kids, "Look, you guys get him for hours at a time during school. It's my turn to steal him."

The students were silent, staring at the two heroes. Ryoko could see the looks of apprehension on their faces. The meeting was a heavy one, a delicate subject that Ryoko knew the kids had never had to face before. She remembered her first big case. While nothing of the caliber that the students would be facing, it was still dangerous and scary for the redhead.

She takes in a deep breath. "It's a lot." She tells them, arm still around Aizawa's neck. "It's a hell of a first case. I probably would have quit being a hero if this was my first case. But you guys don't know the definition of that word." She gives the students a small smile. "I also know you're not going to idle by while a little girl needs help.

"It's a lot." She repeats, the students still looking at her. "But you guys got this shit." Some students smile back at her. Ryoko rolls her shoulders back, bringing Aizawa in closer to her. "Now, I'm stealing my friend, and there's nothing you can do about it." She sticks her tongue out before the two heroes turn and begin to head towards the exit.

"Where are you dragging me?"

"My place."

"Why?"

"Mic and Midnight will be there."

Aizawa doesn't try to stop Ryoko. He continues to walk with her, hands in his pockets. "Again, I ask why."

"Humor me dude!"

* * *

Toshinori walked up the steps of his house, hand reaching for the doorknob. He pauses. He can hear laughter on the other side of the door. It was his girlfriend's laugh, that half giggle half snort he's loves. But he could hear others. Toshinori figures that Present Mic would be inside, but there was more voices inside than that.

He opens the door, stepping inside just in time to hear his fellow teacher, Midnight, say, "You need to get laid!"

Everyone pauses, eyes looking at the open door. The four friends were sat at the dinner table. Midnight had her elbows resting on the table and leaning forward. Aizawa sat across from her, arms folded across his chest and leaning back in his seat. Mic and Ryoko sat across from one another, Mic with his back to the door. Ryoko's hands were in Mic's, the blonde holding a nail polish brush in one hand.

Immediately, Ryoko's face lights up. "Hey babe,"

"Hi honey." Toshinori says, closing the door behind him as the other three said their hellos. He moves to hang his jacket up, eyes still looking at Ryoko. Everyone else's attention had turned back to the dinner table, watching as Mic painted Ryoko's nails.

"How was work?" He asks, knowing she had the meeting with Nighteye. His former sidekick and girlfriend never did seem to get along well. Toshinori still wanted to make sure that things had gone civilly.

Ryoko shrugs, careful not to move her hands too much. "The man can fucking talk." Her eyes remain on her hands, watching as Mic worked.

Toshinori laughed. "So it went well." He began to head towards the stairs.

"Yeah, let's go with that!" Ryoko says, nodding as Toshinori laughs again, disappearing upstairs to change.

Ryoko's eyes flicker to Aizawa. His eyes met her own. She merely gives him a grin before she lets it fall, looking back at her hands. It was a top secret case that the two were on. Ryoko couldn't utter a word, not even to her boyfriend.

* * *

AN : Sorry for having this chapter come out a week late! I was quite sick last week and had a busy work week!


	14. Chapter 13

Only two days had passed since the meeting with Nighteye. In those two days, the heroes had done their part and searched the areas for any sign of anything - the child, the villains, the drugs. Ryoko hadn't found anything while she was in the field. At least, nothing of importance. She wanted to help the child, that was her endgame here and the only reason she was even cooperating with Nighteye.

She lay in bed that night, frustrated. It took her ages to get to sleep. Ryoko couldn't have been asleep for longer than an hour when her phone went off. She groaned, loud. So loud, it woke Toshinori up. She rolled over, snatching her phone off of the dresser and stared at the bright screen. All the screen said was a number but Ryoko recognized it as Nighteye's. She stared for a minute before she tore the covers off of her body and got out of bed. She hardly heard Toshinori asking her what was wrong as she headed for the bathroom.

Closing the door behind her, she opens her phone. She reads then stares at her phone. Finally, she sighs, dropping her phone as she hits the power button. Her empty hand comes up, rubbing at her eyes. The date was set. They were about to move out and continue with the mission. Ryoko inhales a deep breath before she released it. She leaves the bathroom and crawls back into bed, returning her phone to the bedside table. She reassured her boyfriend that everything was fine as she curled up against him, doing her best to find sleep once again.

* * *

"She's at their HQ?!" A hero shouts as they look at Nighteye.

Ryoko throws her hands in the air and rolls her eyes. "Of fucking course,"

"So this whole stinkin' investigation was for nothing?!"

Ryoko could see that many of the heroes were annoyed by this fact. It was right in front of their faces and they had done all of their searching and digging for nothing.

"No," Nighteye told the group. "We gained plenty of new intel as a result."

"So how'd you figure it out?" Ryoko asks, a hand going to her hip as her weight shifts.

"A hassaikai member was at a nearby department store the other day. He was purchasing this toy for young girls." Nighteye placed a child's toy onto his desk, confusing majority of the heroes in the room.

"What the heck's that?" The same hero who had issues with the interns spoke. Ryoko looked over at him. She had learned his name was Rocklock but that fact didn't change how she felt about him.

"Maybe the guy's just got a few weird hobbies!" Fat Gum shouted, and Ryoko couldn't quite disagree with him. Maybe the old man did. "Takes all kinds to make a world, Nighteye!"

"No," Nighteye began, shutting down the other's thoughts. "If the man had any personal interest in the product, he wouldn't have been speaking the way he was." Nighteye went on to tell the group about how he used his quirk on the man to ensure his thoughts that he knew Eri.

"You used your foresight?" Rocklock questioned.

"As I explained the other day, I'll use it once I'm positive about something, just to be doubly sure."

Fat Gum's eyebrows furrowed, continuing to look at Nighteye. "So this means we're finally ready to take the fight to them."

"We'll stake the place out so we can be certain the jerk's at home." Centipeder spoke, standing beside Bubble Girl.

"Just need t'get the warrants, right?" Gran Torino asked.

"Sounds about right," Ryoko speaks, eyes turning to see Togota and Midoriya. The two seemed excited and it caused Ryoko's breath to hitch. It wasn't that she didn't trust them or didn't believe in their ability to fight, she was merely worried about what they would find on the inside of the headquarters. Only time would tell.

* * *

Toshinori walked down the stairs of their house, rounding the corner to enter the kitchen. His movements halted as he saw Ryoko, sitting at the table. He noticed she was dressed in her hero outfit. In her hands was a large mug. Probably the largest one they owned. He watched her sigh and bring the cup to her lips. After a few gulps, she put the cup back down on the table, her face twisted in disgust.

"Coffee?" Toshinori asks and Ryoko nods. She brings the mug back up to her lips. "You hate coffee," He states, watching as Ryoko tips her head back and finishes the large cup.

She places the mug back on the table. Her lips were turned down. "Yeah,"

The man walks over to his girlfriend, hand moving to her back. "Whatever you've got today," He started, Ryoko still staring at her cup. "You can do it." Ryoko takes in a deep breath before she slowly nods. Her head turns, glancing up at him. She gives him a smile, to which he returns before he leans forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

She stands from the table, Toshinori heading into the kitchen to make himself breakfast. Ryoko walks over to the door, opening it before she pauses. After a moment, she calls into the kitchen. "Hey, babe?"

"Yes?" He calls back. When Ryoko hesitates, he moves, standing by the kitchen table to better see her.

"Just, uh," She starts, pausing. The hand she had resting on the door turns to a fist, tapping it once against the door before she turns to him. "Keep your phone on you today," He nods and she nods back, feet taking her out the door, it closing behind her.

* * *

It was early in the morning. Some of the officers were handing out pieces of paper to the heroes. The paper had a list of everyone's registered quirk inside the building. Ryoko had her hands in her pockets. She looked around, Nighteye speaking to the police officers, urging them to capture as many people inside as they could. Her eyes landed on the students and she made her way over to them. The students greeted the hero but she simply stared back.

Finally, Ryoko spoke, "It's gonna be intense. This is a hell of a first mission to have." The students exchanged looks between one another. Ryoko didn't turn her eyes off of them. "I'm not saying you guys can't do it, but be careful. I will be looking out for you guys," She hesitates, shoulders moving to adjust her jacket. Her eyes turned down to the ground for a moment before she looks back at them. "There's too much shit we still gotta do here,"

She turns on her heel, walking away from the students before they could say anything. She returns to where the group stood, standing next to Fat Gum. Hands still in her pocket, her eyes remained focused on the police officer as he spoke.

"Heroes, they're probably gonna put up a fight, y'know. So if you spot any one of them resisting or trying anything funny, I'm counting on you guys to deal with it!" Ryoko's eyes shifted as Fat Gum offered marlin to eat to his intern. She looked the student up and down before she turned back to the officer. "We're up against a mafia group that's somehow survived until now, so don't let your guards down for a second. Get in there and do what you've gotta do!" Ryoko, along with the many other heroes, nod in response to him before they all begin to head out.

Within thirty minutes, the heroes and the police officers were in front of the building that housed the group. Ryoko stood in between Midoriya and Aizawa. Her hands were still in her pockets.

"Once I read off the warrant, things are gonna start moving!" The officer calls out. "Let's try to end this quickly."

Aizawa turns to look at Ryoko. "Now isn't the time to shut down,"

"I'm here, aren't I?" Ryoko shifts, the other heroes talking amongst themselves.

"Play nice."

"You first." Ryoko scoffs, watching as the officer moves to hit the button on the intercom.

Before he can do so, a voice comes from behind the gates. "We Yakuza have always lurked in the shadows, hidden away. But don't expect us to flinch just cuz the police and some heroes are out to get us!"

Instantly, Ryoko pulls her hands out of her pockets, standing up straight. Aizawa grabs his capture weapon. Before anyone can move, a large man comes barrelling through the gates, knocking some police officers backwards. Midoriya and Aizawa move quickly, Ryoko ducking as they launch themselves into the air. They grab a hold of the police officers and return them safely to the ground.

While Ryuukyuu used her quirk, transforming into a large dragon to block the attacking creature, Ryoko charged in with police. Fat Gum and his interns, along with Nighteye and his interns, joined the force as they ran to the front door.

"Keep moving!" Fat Gum shouted as heroes aimed for the door. Fat Gum entered the building first, shouting as he did. He apologized for not taking off his shoes as Nighteye, Aizawa, and Ryoko followed in behind him. "Don't you think this feels kinda suspicious?" Fat Gum questions. Ryoko had the same feeling. As the heroes ran without being stopped, something in her gut told her this wasn't right.

"Something about all this doesn't feel right." Rocklock spoke, agreeing with Fat Gum and Ryoko's suspicions. "But we have no choice, just gotta push on!"

"The underlings exchange sake cups and pledge loyalty to the bosses." Aizawa spoke, everyone continuing to run, not slowing up their pace. "Even with their fall from grace, these gangs have always emphasized loyalty above all else.

"All this pushback and the fact that we haven't seen Chisaki or his officers yet means they're probably using these distractions to cut and run."

The group continued to run, halting only after Nighteye spoke, "Here." They stop, watching as Nighteye moves aside a vase, pushing planks in a certain order. The wall then began to creak, slowly opening. The door slowly began to open but was wrenched open by three men on the other side.

"Like hell you're getting past us!"

Immediately, Bubble Girl and Centipeder sprang into action. With the help of Aizawa, the group took out the three men that charged them. Bubble Girl urged the group on ahead and they began to run down the stairs of the secret corridor. They came to a dead end, Ryoko cursing and pointing it out. Togota was quick to use his quirk and move through the wall, the others halting. Ryoko shifts her weight, hands going to rest on her hips as she catches her breath.

Togota reappeared back with them. "This wall's the only thing in our way! It's a thick one, though."

"We've come too far to let this stop us!" Midoriya shouted as he and Kirishima charged at the wall, breaking through it.

Ryoko smiled at them as Fat Gum complimented them. They began to move, heading down the hallway. Ryoko took one step before she felt herself stumble. She stops, everyone else following suit as they watched the hallway shift and twist.

"... the fuck," Ryoko breaths, eyes moving around as the walls and floor continue to move.

"It's gotta be the HQ director, Irinaka!" The police officer shouted. "But the scale of what he's doing here is off the charts!"

Ryoko looks over her shoulder at the officer, "He's supposedly limited to controlling something the size of a fridge."

"Maybe he gave himself a little boost." Fat Gum theorizes, Ryoko turning her head to look at him.

"With the drug?" Fat Gum nods and Ryoko turns her attention back to the hallway before her. "That'd explain this."

"His quirk lets him possess objects and control them from the inside! He must've taken control of the concrete in this basement facility and turned it into a living labyrinth!"

Ryoko grit her teeth together, "Talk about a fucking set back." She turns to her friend. "Zawa,"

"Not unless I catch sight of his real body," Aizawa speaks, leaving the sentence open ended which resulted in Ryoko cursing. His attention was turned to the ceiling.

"I can make it!" Togota shouts, moving passed the group and towards the shifting walls. "It's a race against the clock. They know it too. This is all just to buy them time!"

"Kid!" Ryoko shouts, following him. Her hand reaches out, trying to grab onto him or at least his cape.

"See you guys on the other side!"

And with that, Togota was gone. Ryoko stopped inches from the new wall. She turns around, facing the group and throws her hands into the air. She takes a deep breath. Before anyone can move a muscle, the floor below them opened up. Ryoko hardly had time to blink, everyone was falling downwards. Plummeting down, no one expected it. Ryoko quickly prepared herself to land, rolling out of the landing as she did. She bumps into someone as she does, clenching her teeth.

"Ms Ryoko!" Midoriya called, hand coming out to help her stand. She brushes him off, standing and turning to her friend.

"We only fell about one story. This wasn't meant to kill us,"

"We're just getting farther and farther from the target now." Rocklock shouted, clearly upset with the situation. "These guys're punking us real good!"

"Lookee here," A voice came from behind the dust that filled the room. Ryoko turned, eyebrows furrowing as she stared at three villains. "State-authorized goons, dropping from the sky. Life's just full of surprises, huh?"

Fat Gum pounded his fists together as Ryoko squared her shoulders. Both heroes began to walk towards the villains. They were stopped as Amajiki put his arm out in front of them. "You pros and your power are essential to the mission! As for these guys trying to slow us down, I can deal with them myself!"

Everything moved so quickly. A villain charged, Aizawa used his quirk, while another villain pulled out a gun. Fat Gum stepped forward while the other cops drew their guns. Before Ryoko could even think about stepping towards the villains, Amajiki moved passed all of the heroes. He entangled the villains in tentacles, using his other hand's tentacles to take their weapons. Ryoko shifted backwards, still on the offensive incase the student needed help.

"There's not a moment to spare!" The Third Year shouted, "Eraser needs to lead the way, and you'll need all the pros' quirks. Plus you've got the power to smash through those morphing walls! And the police have their guns!"

"Kid, let me help you," Ryoko stated, eyes on Amajiki.

"Let's go! Through that door!" Fat Gum called. He ushered Kirishima out the door and the others began to move, following the hero. Ryoko looked at Fat Gum before she turned back to Amajiki. Aizawa knocked out one of the villains before he followed the others, grabbing Ryoko's arm in the process.

"Fat!" Kirishima calls, the group still running. "What's the deal, leaving him all alone back there?!"

"He's your guy, so it's your call," Rocklock spoke but Ryoko ran passed him, cutting him off.

"Bad idea, Fat Gum, this is a _bad_ idea."

"He's more capable than anyone else here." Ryoko shook her head, continuing to run, her jaw clenched. Her gut continued to tell her that things were going to end badly for them. Still, she continued to run, until they came upon stairs at the end of the hall.

"Odd," Aizawa mused. "Isn't it strange that we've seen nothing from the guy shifting the basement around?" Ryoko turned her head to glance at her friend before she looked forward again. "That he's allowed us to come this far without interfering must mean that he doesn't have complete awareness or control of the basement."

"Or he's leading us somewhere," Ryoko mentioned before she turned to Aizawa. She merely raised her eyebrows at him before she turned forward once more.

"Maybe there's a limit to how much he can monitor at once?" Rocklock questioned.

"This is just a theory, but I think he literally dove into the basement to control it." Aizawa continued. "He hasn't become the facility itself. Rather, he's sneaking through the walls, watching and listening. So when he shifts things around to slow us down, there's a chance his real body is nearby. He must stick his real eyes or ears out to observe,"

"That would make sense." Ryoko spoke. "So we just need him to-" Ryoko was cut off as part of the wall to her left shot out, aimed directly for Aizawa. He was hit and pushed through an opening in the other wall. Ryoko slid to a halt, turning around. She was in front of the moving walls, Rocklock stuck behind them. "Zawa!" She shouted, feet beginning to move towards her friend. Before she could get there, Fat Gum dove in front of her. He was able to pull Aizawa back out, but he went tumbling down.

The others didn't get a break, the basement continuing to shift and move. Ryoko couldn't keep her footing. One second she was able to balance herself, the next she was trying to prevent herself and the others from being squished. "He's trying to crush us to death!" She shouts, hand coming out to grip onto Deku, for both her sake and his.

"Rocklock!" Nighteye called, said hero running over to a wall.

"Some leader you are, getting us into this mess! You really screwed up, here!" Ryoko grit her teeth, whipping around to glare at the hero.

Watching as he used his quirk, she got a hold of her footing. "Shut up!" She shouts at Rocklock, the man turning to her. Deku had smashed a wall, the anxiety in the room at an extreme. "You've done nothing but bitch and moan since you walked into his office!"

"You got a problem?" He questions before turning to Aizawa, shouting his hero name.

"He can't do anything unless he can see the bitch!" Ryoko gestures to her friend before she walks over to Rocklock. "And yeah, I do! Your attitude is piss poor!"

"That's the pot calling the kettle black."

"This isn't helping!" Deku shouts, but the heroes don't move. As they continue to stare, the room opens up. Both Rocklock and Ryoko look up. The ceiling shifted.

"Ryo!" Aizawa shouts, Midoriya already moving and pushing her to the side. She lands on her side, her shoulder taking the brunt of it while Deku landed on top of her. She groans, Midoriya quickly rolling off and apologizing. She rolls onto her back, taking a breath before she forces herself to sit up. Her, Midoriya, and Aizawa had been separated from the rest. Rocklock was separated from everyone.

Ryoko ran a hand through her hair, letting out a breath as Rocklock shouted through the wall to Nighteye and the others. A hand comes into her vision and she looks up, seeing her friend's hand extended to her. "Now isn't the time,"

Rolling her eyes, she grasps his hand, letting him help her stand. They let go of each other, Ryoko shifting her shoulders to adjust her jacket. "I knew you cared,"

"I don't know what you're talking about,"

Aizawa began to walk away from her, Ryoko turning as her eyebrows furrowed together, "You called me Ryo, you little shit," The redhead turns, following the hero as Midoriya smashes through a wall to get to Rocklock. Ryoko froze. There was two Rocklocks.

"This imposter just showed up and came at me!"

Rocklock continues to speak, Aizawa walking over to the Rocklock that laid on the ground. "What?" Ryoko speaks, finally moving her feet to follow Aizawa. The one Rocklock went to Midoriya, asking about his well being. Ryoko and Aizawa locked eyes for a moment. They were both thinking the same thing, Ryoko confirming it when she raised an eyebrow and nodded to the hero on the ground. They heard Midoriya shout seconds later, both heroes moving to the students aid.

Aizawa used his quirk, revealing a member of the league of villains. Using his scarves, Aizawa pulled the villain back, but she managed to gain the upper hand. She flipped over him, stabbing him in his shoulder blade. Ryoko and Midoriya both ran to him, just as the wall behind them shifted to allow the villain to escape.

"Dude!"

"Mr. Aizawa!"

Ryoko knelt down beside her friend, eyes immediately going to look at his wound. "I'm okay," He starts, his hand coming up to cover the wound. "More importantly, we've got to stop Rocklock's bleeding." Ryoko's head turned, looking at the unconscious hero. "Pick up the knife. It looks like Toga uses blood somehow,"

"What about you?" Ryoko asks as she reaches over and grabs the knife, her head turning back to look at Aizawa. She leans over, trying to look through the slits of his goggles.

"I said I'm fine. We need to help Rocklock," Ryoko turns, looking back at the other hero before she turns to Midoriya. He looked deep in thought, worried and distraught even. The redhead stands, her friend said he was fine twice, so she figured he meant it. She walks over to Midoriya, putting the knife on the ground and crouching down to get to his height.

She begins snapping her fingers in his face. "Hey, hey, kid!" He blinks, head whipping around to look at her. "Don't lose me now!" She forces herself to grin at him before she stands and he follows suit. Ryoko turns, beginning to walk back over to Aizawa and Rocklock when the room shifts again. The four begin to slide down the now smooth wall, Aizawa moving to grab Rocklock while Ryoko's focus turned to Midoriya's. The two were able to keep themselves stable. They took to looking around, hearing a voice and trying to find the owner of it.

Without much warning, Midoriya launches himself into the air. Ryoko turned, watching where he was aiming his kick. She was able to make out a face in the wall and she quickly points at it. "Aizawa!" He quickly follows her arm, activating his quirk. The group watches as a man falls, Midoriya moving to grab him and help him land easier after he knocked himself out on the way down. In the shift, the four heroes were reunited with Nighteye. Ryoko watches as Aizawa grabs at his wound again. She turns to walk over to him but he stops her, putting his other hand out for a second before it falls.

"It would seem that we've been used," Nighteye spoke.

Ryoko glanced over at him. "Who would have thunk it?"

"But now this maze is over." Nighteye looked over his shoulder at Ryoko.

She stared back. "We gotta catch up to Togota." The other two turn to her but she continues to stare at Nighteye. "Something's not sitting right with me."

"It's great that this living labyrinth is over with, but as things stand we've got no clue which way is which." Nighteye speaks before he points down what was once a generic hallway. "At the very least, I was able to grasp the location of Eri's room."

Ryoko follows Nighteye's finger as the police officer began to yell at the Yakuza member. The villain simply sits there, the officer getting more upset when he said nothing. "The drug's probably worn off,"

"Fat Gum's judgment was on the mark." Aizawa speaks, agreeing with his friend. "Irinaka can no longer wield that level of power."

The group began to argue about the two league of villains members and Ryoko simply rolls her eyes. She was tempted to run off by herself and deal with the entire situation herself, but Rocklock's yelling pulled her attention away from her thoughts.

"What in the hell are you doing standing around and chatting…?! Ignore 'em and press on! Just leave the league to the cops! Have you forgotten our top priority?!" Ryoko turned her head, making eye contact with Midoriya for a moment before they both look back at Rocklock. "Either way, someone has to stay behind and keep Irinaka restrained. Thanks to that little girly, I won't be able to jump and prance around anytime soon."

Immediately, Ryoko turns, running down the hall with Aizawa, Midoriya, and Nighteye. As they ran, Ryoko reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out a matte black, zippo lighter. She spins it in her fingers before gripping it tightly, keeping it in her fist. Thanks to Midoriya breaking the wall, they were able to run into the room Togota and Chisaki were in. Midoriya launched himself at Chisaki, punching him and sending him flying. Nighteye and Ryoko headed for Togota and Eri. Aizawa followed Midoriya, activating his quirk against Chisaki.

Nighteye wrapped the two in his arms, complementing Togota as he did. Ryoko stood behind them, looking around the room at the villains that laid on the floor. She fidgeted with the lighter in her hand, listening to Chisaki shout and try to pick himself up.

She turned as the villain shifted, Aizawa already pushing Midoriya out of the way. A large arrow shot out of the villain's head, slicing Aizawa's arm. He immediately began to move slower.

"Anyone cut by the Minute Hand will have their movements slowed!" Ryoko began to move, Aizawa unable to stop himself from blinking. She ran at her friend, flipping the top of the lighter open. Chisaki regained his quirk, shifting around the floors and causing spikes to burst from it. Ryoko quickly used the lighter, a small flame igniting. She pulled it with her other hand, destroying the spikes around her. The fire shifts, wrapping itself around her arms once she was certain she was safe from being impaled. She closes the top of the lighter, sliding it back into her pocket as she looks around, taking a head count.

Her focus was pulled back to Chisaki, however, watching as he grabbed one of the Yakuza members. Chisaki then used his quirk to destroy the both of them before rebuilding himself with the member fused with him. "Now, you'll be returning Eri to me." He spoke.

"I don't think so." Ryoko clenched her fists, the flames burning larger around her arms. The villain turned his attention to Ryoko, frowning at her as he did. Her arms open, the fire still burning bright. "Bring it!"


End file.
